Finely crafted and superbly executed - it's still one of the best

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 2020)

Fed up with life, Phoenix-based secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is entrusted to take an important client's $40,000 to the bank one Friday afternoon. However, Marion sees this as the perfect opportunity to leave her old life behind and start afresh. After driving for a long period of time, Marion decides it's best to get a good night's sleep and checks in to the Bates Motel which is run by mild-mannered Norman and his domineering mother.
I watched this film for the first time a number of years ago and remember being totally blown-away by it. Well it's fair to say that time has mostly being kind to this film as it is still quite an experience.
Hitchcock wasn't called the master of suspense for nothing; of course much of the suspense comes later when we get to the Bates Motel, but there is one scene earlier in the film involving a policeman that achieves this effect with no dialogue (it literally is just a police officer staring at Marion from across the road, but it still managed to be pretty creepy). I also thought the voiceovers of conversations that are taking place in Marion's absence discussing her behaviour, motives etc were an excellent touch. A lot of filmmakers would have cut back to the office or to the car sales yard so we could see these people talking, but seeing it as a voiceover whilst Marion was driving was more suspenseful and tense and was a good move by Hitchcock.
However, it's when the action moves to the Motel when the film really picks up a gear and this is mainly down to the wonderful duo of Hitchcock and Perkins; Hitchcock with his masterful direction in which he leaves a lot to our imagination (I remember the first time I watched this film how much I wanted to see inside the Bates house and how I was on the edge of my seat when Martin Balsam starts to creep up the stairs). However, in front of the camera the film most definitely belongs to Perkins and I think what I liked about his character is that, despite his nature, there is a certain vulnerability about him. Instead of being cool, calm and emotionless when under scrutiny he starts stuttering, mumbling his words, avoiding eye contact etc which are traits your average Joe would exhibit under the same sort of pressure. His nervy performance mean you don't always feel the way you should feel about him. Add to all this the wonderful score by Bernard Herrman and you really do have one hell of a film here.
I originally rated this film with the perfect score when I last watched Psycho (which was before I started writing reviews). However, I had to knock a star off for the psychiatry report at the end - although it helps us gain an understanding of Norman's mind-set it went on for too long and for me tarnished the film slightly.. More so given the memorable ending prior to said psychiatry sequence.