Cropdusting 101 & Intrigue With Mistaken Identity

Rating: 10/10 (6 September 2006)

This film is the most famous of all of Alfred Hitchcocks work & is the one that more people remember Cary Grant for now. When Alfred made this film, he had learned everything about playing the audience through a vast experience in films, plus his TV show. It shows in this one. It is wonderfully paced, imaginative, provocative, & suspenseful all at the same time.
The imagination used to design this film, from using the UN Building for a murder scene to Mount Rushmore for scenery and suspense, to the barest flat farmland in the Mid-west, & then making a surprise happen at every location is just amazing. Hitchcock did a fun trailer for this movie that plays like a travel agent promo.
The plot is Grant (Thornhill) being mistaken for an imaginary spy fits perfect & the cast is perfect. James Mason is an excellent actor and performs very well as the heavy in this film. Eva Marie Saint is a hot double agent being asked to sacrifice all for her country. She lends an air of class to the proceedings. Martin Landau is fine supporting the bad guys. Leo G Carroll is excellent in support as a top US intelligence man known as the Professor who seems to be pulling all the strings.
I am not sure how this thriller could be any better & I pray no one will ever try to remake this one. Hitchcock has been copy proof as the attempts at redoing Psycho have proved. Unfortunately, I am afraid someone will try to attempt other films he did. I just pray this isn't one of them. If they do, Hitch should rise out of his grave & shoot them!