This movie is great.

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2014)

This movie features incredibly powerful acting by the two stars, James Stewart and Kim Novak. In fact, this story is so actor-driven that it is unlikely that with different actors the movie would have been as nearly as powerful. Stewart plays a character, Scotty, who is being cruelly manipulated by two people for ulterior purposes that become apparent only later in the movie. What drives the story forward is the interaction between Scotty and the woman, Madeleine, whose deviousness is only matched by her own emotional vulnerability. Emotions become confused as victim and manipulator become more involved. Besides being arguably James Stewart's most emotionally evocative performance, it propels the movie to a dramatic crescendo that is completely engaging. It is virtually impossible for an audience not to empathize with Scotty's emotional torment. Yet, what makes the movie even more provocative is the way in which the two characters are portrayed - as people with whom one can identify. Scotty and Madeleine are plausible characters. Without going into detail, suffice it that Kim Novak gives the best performance of her career. The cinematography is excellent. This is a great movie.