Superbly Suspenseful

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2000)

Rear Window is such a great movie because it manages to create suspense with ease, and manages to sustain that throughout the entire film. You only really see what Jeffries sees; and, of course, this guy must be feeling a little nervous seeing as though he thinks he knows about a murder. By making the viewers see it has he does, Hitchcock manages to make the viewer as nervous about the situation as Jeffries does.
There isn't much plot here, instead, it's one linear storyline with little tidbits from the other people's lives. Each of these stories are brilliantly complete in and of themselves, from Ms. Torso's freewheeling to Ms. Lonelyheart's... lonely heart. Still, this movie is, completely and totally, about voyeurism in every way. Jeffries's profession is about taking pictures of other people's situation. Him and his girlfriend are worried that they just won't work as a married couple, because of their vast differences in lifestyle. The murder plot unfolds carefully, and slowly (like a puzzle slowly being solved), and the viewer manages to see only as much as Jeffries does, in effect turning each viewer into a voyeur. Jeffries' paranoia ends up consuming just about everyone else he knows, and it all leads to a very suspenseful climax that does not disappoint the rest of the movie.
With Rear Window, Hitchcock manages to latch onto a subject that just about every person could be compelled with, and follows through with such precision and flair that is practically the norm for him. Absolutely one of the best movies ever made.