The best film every - really and honestly!

Rating: 10/10 (5 August 2005)

This is a film that can regularly be seen in the list of critic's favourite films of all time and rightly so. I saw this film around fifteen years ago and to date it is the best film I have ever seen (and trust me I've seen a fair few). This film is at it's heart about obsession and anyone who has every felt obsessive love in their life will likely make a connection to this film. It has meant different things to me at different stages of my life, and trust me, I've watched this a fair few times.
First of all, if you like action films, comedy's or any of the mind-numbingly bad "blockbuster" films that have been released in recent years, you will likely not like this film. However, if you prefer character an plot driven movies and also enjoy classic movies, then I would recommend that you definitely watch this.
The film itself is split into two very distinct parts. The first half of the film is a mystery / romance that is really just a setup for the second half of the movie where the real meat of the story lies. It is in the second half of the movie where the real drama is and it is handled superbly by Hitchcock, James Stewart and Kim Novak. You will notice that I'm not giving any details of the actually story itself, this is for good reason, you really need to see it yourself.
There are several things which makes this film really special for me, mainly the emotional turmoil between both James Stewarts and Kim Novak I the last half of the movie. However, there is one aspect of the film which I have always though was quite ingenious. The twist in the story is not revealed at the end of the story, but actually about 2/3rds into the film. Now rather than spoiling the movie early, this just heightens the emotional anguish when you know the secret that Kim Novak is hiding and makes the tension and drama more powerful.
I could list a hundred different reasons why this is film so great, but this would turn into a 20 page essay if I tried. I will simply say that this film should be watched by anyone who truly loves films.