A precursor to the modern day action films.

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2014)

Alfred Hitchcock really shows his expertise in suspense with this thriller. But also his expertise in action too. Here's the plot. Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is an advertising executive but is thought to be a government agent under the name George Kaplan. They force him to drink an entire bottle of alcohol and they put him an a moving Mercedes Benz so he is arrested for drunk driving. He goes back to New York but after pulling a knife out of a man that an assassin threw, the police think he is a terrorist. Roger goes on a quest with CIA agent Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) and finds out that the FBI planted Kaplan as a decoy. But now that he's assumed the role, he's actually enlisted to become Kaplan. He ends up talking with the lead criminal Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) at an auction who has assassins all around. Roger makes a scene so no one can attack him without being seen, and then punches a man so the police take him away. He eventually meets up with Vandamm and Eve again. Eve shoots Roger in the Mount Rushmore café to get away from him. She goes to Vandamm's country home but Roger saves her from being killed. At the end there's a spectacular chase scene on Mount Rushmore. It's one of the most famous movie scenes ever like the crop duster chase that happens earlier, in the film. I say go check this one out. But in my opinion it's not as good as Rear Window (1954).