After being
mistaken for the wrong man, Cary Grant is chased across the country by agents
of a nefarious organization.
It's funny how being first forgives a lot of other faults. North by Northwest, by today's standard is a pretty standard thriller. The mistaken identity. The shadow agency manipulating everything. I've seen it done a dozen times, whether it's the kitchen sink commitment of The Game or even the extra twist of A History of Violence. North by Northwest was the first movie like it. At least, it set the template that all thrillers of its ilk have followed ever since. Because of that, it's virtually impossible to find an assessment of the film that's negative. I don't veer from that. I did like the movie. At the same time, I couldn't help but think about all the modern critics who would roll their eyes at some of these twists if they were included in a modern movie. Sometimes, when I'm watching these classic movies, I wonder what the response would be if you didn't slap the Hitchcock label on it. Cary Grant is an ideal lead for this. He's versatile enough for all the things he needs to do in this. He can be an everyman and a hero. I buy him as a romantic lead. He can even be silly when needed. I liked how he played drunk. He had fun with it. He has good chemistry with Eva Marie Saint*, who is a nice femme fatale-type.Also, I didn't realize that Martin Landau was ever that young.
*As always, the 20 year age difference was a little distracting, especially because Eva Marie Saint was playing someone who was claiming to be even younger than she was at the time.
NxNW is a really
fun thriller. It has a couple of the most iconic scenes in cinema. The most
refreshing thing about Hitchcock that people often forget is how much he aimed
to entertain with his movies. The artistic merit is almost secondary.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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