Easily Hitchcock's best

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2005)

Businessman Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistakenly thought to be a Federal agent. He is kidnapped by an evil man (James Mason). They soon realize they've captured the wrong man and try to have him killed. But it doesn't work and Thornhill finds himself a hunted man...
OK--this is not perfect. There's some lousy back projection (but all Hitchcock films have that) and I was never really sure WHAT the bad guys were doing (something to do with microfilm). Also I've never believed Grant's actions when someone is killed in front of him (WHY did he grab the knife?). But the film is so incredibly entertaining no one has ever cared. This has some of Hitchcock's most famous scenes--the infamous "crop dusting" sequence and the climax on top of Mount Rushmore--but the whole film is just as good. There's a tense auction sequence and Grant's harrowing car ride down a treacherous road while dead drunk.
There are some amusing parts in the film: Grant's mother appears to be a few years YOUNGER than him; the main villains last name is Vandamm; the romantic sparring between Grant and Eva Marie Saint is full of sexual innuendo; Martin Landau (one of Vandamm's henchman) is gay (he says he has a woman's intuition and has slightly exaggerated mannerisms--but it's not offensively done) and get a load of Vandamms mountain house at the end! Grant appears a bit old for this but he pulls it off; Eva Marie Saint is incredibly beautiful and pretty good as the love interest (sort of); Martin Landau is so young and handsome with blazing blue eyes and James Mason is just perfect as the evil Vandamm--his lines seem to come so effortlessly and he's so suave...but you also see the cruelty hiding underneath. Probably one of the best Hitchcock villains ever.
So--excellent script with incredible dialogue; rich, bright Technicolor; shot in VistaVision (a wide screen process); great score and Hitchcock's always great direction with several astounding camera shots. Never boring--even at 136 minutes. A true classic. Don't miss this one! I give it a 10.
"That's funny. That plane is dusting crops where there ain't no crops."