North by Northwest

Pros: Cary Grant. Suspenseful, entertaining movie.
Cons: Nothing

Alfred Hitchcock created some of the most suspenseful movies ever made during his career as a director. I've seen and enjoyed many of his movies. Over the last few years I have added several of his movies to my DVD collection. North by ...

Pros: Cary Grant, Direction, Story, Score, Supporting cast
Cons: Only a quibble or two - read review

North by Northwest (1959) "War is hell, Mr Thornhill, even if it's a cold one." North by Northwest seems to be the movie where all Hitchcock's powers as a filmmaker came together. It takes a case of mistaken identity and plays it ...

Pros: Cary Grant's portrayal, well crafted screenplay, that crop duster scene
Cons: A couple of convenient plot flaws

The 1950’s were certainly a golden era for Alfred Hitchcock. Over the course of that decade he shot what many consider to be his greatest movies: Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho (1960) and North by Northwest. Not enough? Well he also had Strangers on ...

Pros: Non-stop action, direction, score, artwork, editing, tight screenplay
Cons: Nothing really

The 1950s was a mixture of successes and failures for Alfred Hitchcock. Most of his successes are classic thriller films such as Rear Window, Vertigo and Strangers on a Train. Hitchcock did have some failures such as I...

Pros: excellent story, great acting, good pace, good action scenes
Cons: some slow moments

Many films considered to be classic thrillers or horror films don’t hold up as well to modern scrutiny.  I can remember the first time I watched The Birds.  All I could think of was “Is that ...

Pros: Strong story that draws you in...
Cons: ...weakened by a few slow parts.

Advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) leads a boring life. The highlight of his week is the play he will be attending with his mother. But when he pops into his club for a quick drink before the show, he is kidnapped. When he arrives at ...

Pros: Action is nonstop, the whole movie is gripping. Cary Grant's got big balls.
Cons: Just a few tiny things, not quite the introspective challenge that some others are.

It was the Hitchcock movie to end all Hitchcock movies, or so I heard. But Hitchcock would actually go on to make nine more movies between this and the last film of his career in 1976 (incidentally, when I was born). Still, coming from a guy who has ...

Pros: Hitchcock got everything perfect on this one: casting, production and script.
Cons: It gives crop-dusters a bad name.

A man stands alone at a deserted crossroads in the middle of a prairie. A crop-dusting plane drones in the background, spraying the air on the horizon. The sun beats down mercilessly. The man, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit, is nervously awaiting a...

Pros: Action, twists, scenery, score, acting
Cons: One awkward scene, dated aspects

Who is George Kaplan? Well, he is not Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive from New York City, played perfectly by Cary Grant, but the bad guys (James Mason and Martin Landau) become, due to a weird incident involving misunderstandings, thoroughly ...

Pros: Great performance by Cary Grant and plenty of suspense.
Cons: North By Northwest? No cons here!

And so it came to pass that on Saturday, the 4th of September 2004, I was in the midst of getting a severe case of cabin fever from being cooped up and waiting for hurricane (Sgt Hulka Voice on) Frances (Hulka voice off). After seeing all the weather ...

Pros: Gripping and an awful lot of fun...
Cons: ...but the ending was strangely abrupt.

Continuing my quest in the movies-I-oughta-seen-by-now saga I recently settled in front of TCM to watch the classic North by Northwest directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant. It's one of the classic tales of mistaken identity, with ...

Pros: …
Cons: …

I have this list (or at least a general sense) of movies that I should see at some point in my life. I had wanted to see this movie for several reasons. First, there’s that famous crop-duster scene. Second, I figure that I should see at least one Cary ...

Pros: Cary Grant and Hitchcock, say no more.
Cons: None worth mentioning.

If there was ever a film that keeps me glued to my seat while bringing a grin to my face, it's Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest". Coming at the tail end of one of the Master's most productive decades, the film combines all the best elements of ...

Pros: Cary Grant, the musical score, Eva Marie Saint, the famous American sights, almost everything else
Cons: Very little

Starting with a pale-green Leo the Lion (the trademark of MGM), Saul Bass creates a vibrant title sequence, seamlessly transitioning from an animated crisscrossing of animated black lines to a real-life skyscraper reflecting the bustling traffic of New ...

Pros: Good acting, interesting characters, Much of the plot
Cons: Many "surprises" are dated, Several sets

Those who read my reviews tend to know that I'm not a fan of many old movies. If it's in black and white, odds are I didn't enjoy it (notable exception being "Casablanca"). Usually, it's the writing, if it's a comedy, I'm not much of a fan of ...