Not quite Hitch's masterpiece, but that's not at all a bad thing.

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2008)

Every great thriller that I have seen starts off with a what is not always a bang, but a solid attention grabber. 'Vertigo' does so perfectly with one of the most memorable opening scenes ever made. The story only gets better as the main part of the plot begins with retired Detective Scottie Ferguson being recruited to trail a rich man's wife. There seem to be supernatural forces at work, or at least some sort of intense obsession. The way Hitchcock designed it, hold your interest like most of his other films. The acting of solid and the human emotions real and believable without any cheese. However, I still cannot see this film as being Hitchcock's definite classic and certainly not as his masterpiece.
It is a very solid film, but the pace really slows down by the second half and it can feel we've been following a trail of cookie crumbs to wind up at a slight downer of a result. Things pick up again for the climax, but it doesn't quite manage to hit your nerve like other Hitchcock pictures. This might be as a result of the fact that the film is essentially confined to very few characters and the relationships are personal, thus there is much more emotional content than physical action (pun not intended). Some of these emotions are brilliantly highlight such as Scottie's dream sequence. However, many of the others, such as Scottie's obsession in finding Madeleine and in buying Judy the right dress in the second part of the film are left purely to acting and thus seem to be lacking that visual flair.
However, despite this 'Vertigo' is not a film that can go unrecommended. Though the pace may slow it remains engaging and interesting. And that might be just what makes it a sophisticated film since it doesn't just rely on that trail of bread crumbs to keep the viewer wanting more. It goes through changes and twists and then keeps on going all the way to that haunting climax. It's a bit of a journey through those 2 hours, but it's a good one. --- 8/10
Rated PG for some tense scenes. Good for general audiences.