One of the greatest Hitchcock films, but not his best

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2004)

While Psycho is still my favorite Hitchcock film, this comes very, very close to that. Having only seen the made-for-TV remake starring Christopher Reeves, I was quite excited to see this, as it's referred to by many as one of the(if not the) greatest Hitchcock thriller. Now, while I still prefer Psycho over this, I must say that it's a very well-done and effective mystery-thriller, and most of the second half had me almost biting my nails from suspense. The plot is very good, and its theme appeals to some of the most base instincts, including the tiny little voyeur that we all have. The pace is great, I was never bored during any point of the movie. The acting is great, Stewart and Kelly give excellent performances. The characters are all well-written, credible, and, as they almost always are under Hitchcock's direction; very human. The cinematography is excellent; most of the camera angles are from inside the main character's apartment, which creates a very effective and scary feeling of claustrophobia and adds to the suspense. The mystery keeps you guessing throughout the movie, but the ending seemed a little like a letdown... there's no definite answer to the mystery. Then again, maybe that was Hitchcock's intention... to any true mystery, there is no real answer. And Hitchcock probably wanted to have each viewer make up an answer for him- or herself. The film has some great suspense, and a few of the scenes will have you sitting at the edge of your seat. The ending was very close to being anticlimactic, but it managed to make up for it by having one of the most thrilling and nail-biting endings in a Hitchcock film ever. The main reason I rate Psycho higher than this on a personal scale is that the theme works better there... the killer is more easily understandable, while here he's just... well, sloppy and arrogant, half of the time. That was my one complaint while watching the movie, and it won't bring down my rating, not even a notch, because I'm positive it was the way Hitchcock intended it to be. His characters are always human, and what is more human than failing? I recommend this film to any fan of thriller, mystery and/or Hitchcock. You won't be disappointed. Great film. 10/10