Great film that has aged well in spite of a few minor flaws.

Rating: 9/10 (14 August 2005)

Great roller coaster ride of a movie with a few minor flaws. First, I can't imagine a more inept criminal justice system than in Glen Cove: (a) cops crashing their car into a fleeing drunk driver (b) detectives that easily could have exposed the phony Mrs. Townsend (hard to believe they did not already know that the real one was deceased) with a few basic checks, such as the supposed arrival of Thornhill by taxi, his companions at the Oak Bar, the time and circumstances of the theft of the Mercedes, the party guest list, etc. (c) a lawyer letting his client without objection to go to trial on felony charges only one day after the preliminary hearing, and (d) a judge permitting such a quick trial, then letting Thornhill out on bail if his story was supposedly so phony. Second, the scene involving the "United States Intelligence Agency" (staying so secret by being conveniently plopped right in the middle of the National Mall with the Capitol background shot) could have been deleted, leaving the mystery of Kaplan's identity for later resolution; the plot would have been enhanced that much more. Third, the scene in the Chicago train station with the cops checking all the red caps was a bit of a stretch; my recollection of 1950's America was that most of them were of a different ethnicity than that shown in the film.
But in spite of these and the many other minor flaws and goofs that have been well documented, this is still a great film with superb acting, direction, photography, overall plot and suspense that has aged well, like fine wine. I especially liked the little non-verbal nuances, such as: (a) the expression exchange between Thornhill and the other man shaving in the train station, (b) the looks of skepticism by the New York state cop to Eve Kendall, (c) the flabbergasted look by the Chicago cop when Thornhill is suddenly whisked away by the professor at the airport, and (d) Thornhill looking at the farmer (thinking he is Kaplan) across the road, waiting for him to make the first move. The little snippets of humor in the middle of normally suspenseful or dramatic scenes further added to the enjoyment of viewing the film. How many other cops would admonish a murder suspect with "you ought to be ashamed of yourself?" Well worth the rental and viewing time for a good entertainment escape.