Shocking, suspenseful, and flat out original.

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2006)

In most people's minds, "Rear Window" is another one of those Hitchcock thrillers that present a big shock or two. However, what Hitchcock presented in this film is much more than just one of the biggest suspense movies of all time, it's a true representation of our own desire to look into the private lives of others. It's a story about a realistic approach to voyeurism and the outcomes that follow. At first, leading man Jimmy Stewart denies his own boredom by sitting by his apartment window observing his neighbors, but soon realizes it may have been for the best.
L.B Jefferies (Stewart) is a professional photographer who broke his leg and is strapped to his chair with minimal capability to enjoy any activities. With nothing to do, he spies on his neighbors who he knows nothing about. He becomes more skeptical of his neighborhood as one of them becomes delusional and depressed, attempting to take her own life. Also, higher up in the building, a businessman suspiciously gets rid of his invalid wife, leaving Jefferies to believe he had killed her. Gene Kelley plays Stewart's eccentric girlfriend who at first thinks Jefferies has gone too far by spying on his neighbors, but soon plays a big part in his game when she too suspects a murder in the building across.
Hitchcock cleverly orchestrates a vision so realistic and powerful that we dare not ever look in the wrong direction again. The entire film is set in one location: Jefferie's apartment. Every shot of the neighbors, buildings, and strangers is shown from Jefferie's point of view, making it all the more claustrophobic and realistic. We know almost nothing about the neighbors, and very little about Jefferies (for example, how he broke his leg), which only adds to the urge to know more about others and the irony that we know it's wrong yet we can't help but to look away.
The directing is superb and we can almost instantly see Hitchcock's influence on huge directors such as PT Anderson and Quentin Tarantino with his endless tracking shots and flawless choreography of one seemingly endless scene. Hitchcock also chooses a perfect set-design, helping to create a very open yet confined space. The score may not be as good as other Hitchcock films but it fits the mood quite well. We hear both internal and external music, which Hitchcock intelligently connected in order for us to feel the mood he is conveying and to understand the realism of the movie.
"Rear Window" has to be one of Hitchcock's best movies. More than just a clever suspense story, we are exposed to an entire social conflict that resembles our own lives. Our own flawed behavior gets hidden behind closed doors but as we see this film we start to understand the complexity of the characters and how they relate to us.
I'll give this movie a 9/10 because of my very minor problem with the score and that I just can't help but compare it to the flawless work of Hitchcock's "Psycho" and "Vertigo."