Farley Granger is well cast in the role of Guy Haines, turning an excellent performance. Granger evokes the confusion and desperation of the hero. Still, it is Robert Walker in the role of Bruno Antony who dominates this film. He creates a sly, compelling, horrifying villain. Walker is just great.
Every gesture serves to advance the portrait of Antony.
He's the perfect psychopath. Even when he is not on screen, his celluloid ghost casts a faint shadow over every frame. The atmospheric black and white photography of Robert Burks is simply flawless, in this the first of eleven films he shot for Hitchcock. The lighting and camera set-ups serve to consistently heighten the suspense. Dimitri Tiomkin has written a wonderful score, twisting playful elements into the macabre.