"Are you trying to tell me I'm irresistible?"

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2002)

How *could* anyone in their right mind resist a screening of NORTH BY NORTHWEST? Not only does it star Cary Grant--still (at age 55) and always one of the best-looking leading actors ever, it's directed by Alfred Hitchcock, co-stars Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau, and has a brilliant script. I'd expected something scary and suspenseful in an atmospheric way, and I *did* get that--but 'North By Northwest' is so much more. It has incredible dialogue, for one thing, played to the hilt by Grant (surely the best and most subtle comedic actor ever). And that's still not all! Comedic element aside, it's also a romance film (check out the scenes between Grant and Saint: some of them border on pseudo-funny, but most of them are electric), an action flick (the scene on Mount Rushmore, the exhilarating cropduster scene), and a good old-fashioned spy thriller. Definitely two of the best hours I've ever spent in a cinema (I didn't want the film to end, and when it did, I didn't want to leave!), and hours I will happily spend again in front of the television, rewatching this film on DVD. 10/10!