North by Northwest (1959)

 

 

Alfred Hitchcock, a name synonymous with the horror genre, is one of the more interesting characters of early cinema, and one of the frontrunners in modern cinema.  Everything you see in a film right now, most likely wouldn't have been the same had it not been for Hitchcock.  Orsen Welles was the innovator.  Hitchcock was the force.  Of course, that's not to say Hitchcock's films are really that great.  Most of them, or at least the ones I've seen, have all become very dated, and it shows in most of them.  After having seen movies like the Birds and Dial M for Murder, I started to question the director's legendary status.  So, I decided to watch his most critically lauded film: North By Northwest.  I can honestly say that this film will stand the test of time.  It's witty, fun, and engaging.  With a very likable lead, and some very hilarious moments, this is what most thrillers should strive to be: Fun.  Something that's lacking in most films today.

 

North By Northwest starts almost immediately in it's plotting.  10 minutes in and we're already thrusted into the mystery.  Cary Grant, the Tom Cruise of the past minus the Scientology, stars as Roger O. Thornhill, a New York exec, who is kidnapped, and is mistaken as another man: George Kaplan.  He's soon in a race against time in order to save his life and clear his name.  It's short (well, not really), sweet, and simple.  It's fast past and once the 2 hour 16 minute runtime is over (oh, and it's really 2 hours and 16 minutes long), you'll be confused at how fast it went by.

 

Positives early on, include Cary Grant's spectacular performance as Thornhill.  He deftly combines humor and drama with his character, and I'll never forgive Hollywood for his mistreatment (just like Tom Cruise).  Another great thing to note is the scope of this film.  In all honesty, it's sort of like what all James Bond movies should be, in my opinion.  I think if you change the names up a bit, and a couple of roles, you'll have a typical James Bond film.  And, if I say so myself, it's much funner than those films, especially the newer ones. 

 



 

Another positive to note is how funny the movie can be at times.  I went in expecting cheesy 1960s humor that would make me cringe rather than laugh (80s is when comedy hit a high point), but I got to give it to this film.  I laughed at a lot of the jokes.  Yes, some of them are cheesy, but it adds to the charm of the film, and I really enjoyed it.  On a smaller, but equally positive, note, Bernard Herrmann's score was absolutely gorgeous, capturing a grand scale and making the movie feel much more like an epic than a spy film.

 

And finally, I can't discuss this film without mentioning the iconic plane scene.  *MINOR SPOILERS* I'm sure most of everyone in this world knows of the plane scene.  The slow, tense build up to it adds a lot to the film.  You knew what was coming, but you didn't know when, and that's what Hitchcock pulled off right.  The plane attacks Thornhill unexpectedly and I must say that very little action films of this time could pull of the sheer thrills of this.  Yeah, nothing blows up...well, until the end.  But the fact that they pulled this off in 1960 is just amazing.

 

Now, with all the positives of this film, there comes a couple of negatives.  I'll put a *SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THIS PARAGRAPH* notice because most of my complaints deal with the ending. First off, the main villain, Van Damme, isn't the main villain, or at least, someone else upstages him.  It's kind of a shame, considering that the entire film, I was promised a Van Damme vs Thornhill fight, and instead, Van Damme's henchmen become the main villains.  Then, there's the ending, which if you have watched the film, you'll hopefully understand.  After both the henchmen are killed, Thornhill is trying to save his girlfriend from falling, and then, it jump cuts to Thornhill pulling her up on a bed.  And I felt like that was Hitchcock giving me a middle finger.  Not only did it feel rushed, but there were many things that still needed to be explained.  What ever happened to VanDamme?  I know, we're supposed to think he got caught, but his jet was ready to fly off and he most likely saw the cops.  Also, why did the cops just randomly show up right before Thornhill was going to die?  Convenient?  Of course it is.  Then, there's the fact that the jump cut actually took away tension from the film.  I don't know about most of the people, but I kinda felt like the suspense just died automatically.  Kinda hurt the film as a whole.

 

*SPOILERS DONE*

 

Overall, North by Northwest is a good, but unfortunately not great, Hitchcock film.  There are moments where the film shines and outdoes many films, but then, it falls apart during the ending.  Fans of Hitchcock most likely will adore this film, and so might the uninitiated.  Viewing it as a cinephile, I kind of loved seeing all the innovations Hitchcock threw into this film.  It's a film I think most directors should study and follow, but not copy.  However, I just wished that Hitchcock could've given us a much more satisfying ending.

 

 

 

8/10