When It Comes to Thrillers, Alfred Hitchcock is Second to None.

Rating: Null/10 (7 October 2013)

Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest features a spellbinding first half which makes terrific use of clever humour, elevated tension & elements of mystery or suspense but is unfortunately marred by a lacklustre second half which bogs the story down with a dragged narrative & feels slightly overlong in the end although it does have one spectacular sequence that'll be etched in memory once it's seen.
One of the first films to lay down the foundation of modern action thrillers in Hollywood, North by Northwest is a thrilling tale of mistaken identity which concerns an innocent advertising executive who is mistaken for a government agent by an organisation of foreign spies & is pursued by them. The story covers his journey of survival as danger & betrayal await at every corner.
Although the film is nicely directed & does boast some high moments, it nonetheless ends up feeling like a mixed bag as the story ends up overstaying its welcome and the ending feels more extended than it was required. The screenplay is deftly written, camera-work is dynamic from its opening moments, editing could've paced the second half better & Bernard Herrmann's score is expertly composed.
Coming to the performances, Cary Grant is absolutely professional in his role & dons the character's suit smoothly. Plus, he is wonderfully supported by other actors who deliver fine performances in their given roles. On an overall scale, North by Northwest is an intriguing & entertaining flick from Hitchcock that didn't work out for me as well as I would've liked but is still an effective example of its genre that's definitely worth a watch.