North by Northwest (1959)
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North by Northwest Movie Review
North by Northwest is a 1959 thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. It’s one of Hitchcock’s best films.
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“You gentlemen aren’t really trying to kill my son, are you?“
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The film’s plot is archetypal for Hitchcock. The wrongly accused man flees an evil organization across the United States. Think of ‘The 39 Steps’, but better. Yes, even though the plot is familiar, this is actually the quintessential and inarguably the best film of this type by the director. I did find the film overlong and some of the middle parts lagged, but for the most part this is an immensely fun flick that ranks among his most entertaining.
Cary Grant is excellent in his most action-oriented role. The fact that he was 55 at the time of this release and still was believable as an action hero is admirable. Hitchcock found James Stewart way too old for his role in ‘Vertigo’ and thus he employed Grant for this role as he looked younger and it was the right choice because this role is at times quite comedic which is perfect for him. He’s reliably debonair here.
Eva Marie Saint is wonderful in her role and offers such a well utilized, memorable and tough female character. Some of the interactions between the two are very playful and sensual with some lines of dialogue being very suggestive for its time. And James Mason naturally excelled as the villain with his signature cold voice and mannerisms. Everyone is surely very well cast in this movie.
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North by Northwest is a thrilling film. It has a great pulse, it is consistently highly energetic and very menacing as the danger is imminent and most certainly felt. Those are all the reasons why it succeeds as a successful thriller.
It has a bunch of memorable set pieces and scenes. The Mount Rushmore ending is iconic for better and for worse as it influenced countless “edge of the cliff” action scenes in the future. I found that ending spectacular in scope and advanced for its time, but definitely abrupt and not offering a good closure. But the train scenes are great, that overhearing scene is simply brilliant and the auction sequence is absolutely hilarious.
And that brings me to my next point. Although it somewhat bothered me at first, I eventually got used to the film’s overwhelming use of comedy and now I love it and admire it. The danger is still felt and not neutered because of it. The humor is terrific, suiting the actors so well and consistently very clever and observational. It really made the film even more fun than it already was.
North by Northwest is technically highly polished and groundbreaking even. The sets are, as I said, magnificent and so well employed in action. The action is amazing and revolutionary for its time. Naturally that plane sequence is the iconic standout moment. The editing is mostly quote good, the cinematography is professional and the score is superb.
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Hitchcock’s direction is marvelous and he really excelled here at making this film both intense and funny/energetic. The tone is deftly handled and the dialogue is highly sophisticated and playful. Although not my favorite type of his films and it surely does have too much of a spectacular blockbuster feel to it, it’s still one terrific movie that is one of his top ten.
North by Northwest is too spectacular in approach, but mostly very successful in its mix of intense thriller elements, brilliantly executed action and clever humor. Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason are all so well cast and delivering strong performances. The dialogue is sophisticated and playful in nature, the sets are iconic and the film offers a plethora of unforgettable scenes such as the plane scene, the overhearing sequence, the very funny auction and an abrupt, but highly memorable ending.
