North by Northwest 7/10

North by Northwest (NR) 1959
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Suspense-136min
Special DVD Features worth a look- None

Classic Hitchcock aplomb tangles Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) in a web of mistaken identity and international espionage. Grant, at his best as boring businessman Thornhill, enlists a single-minded focus to convince big time bad guys (James Mason and Martin Landau) that he is not the arch spy they seek. Thornhill hops and engages in a little pickle me tickle me with an attractive mystery woman (Eva Marie Saint). Love, suspense and intrigue track Thornhill across the country, culminating in a South Dakotan cliffhanger. The chemistry between the three main actors is pure magic. Grant is impeccably suave, Marie Saint is satisfyingly sultry, and James Mason is fiendishly evil. Hitchcock’s direction and Bernard Hermann's score provide the perfect backdrop for the talented trio.

The only flaw lies in the story itself. Somewhat slow moving, the real crime is the utter absurdity of it all. It is implausible that the mistaken identity portrayed in the movie would progress as far as it does. The problem is especially hard to follow in the case of Mason’s character that is supposed to be a brilliant spy. It is simply inconceivable that such a brilliant intelligence operative would be so easily duped, especially when Grant’s character will do anything to prove his true identity. Add this to the ridiculous 50’s in-car camera shots and the warts begin to become a little distracting. All in all, however, the good definitely outweighs the bad in this entertaining romp across Cold War America. I realize, of course, that giving this film anything less than an unmitigated 10 is pure heresy, so please forward all requests for my head on a pike directly to trout@bretttrout.com.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Extras: Photos, production info, Behind-the-scenes Featurette, Screenwriter commentary, trailer.