North by Northwest

The best Hitchcock I’ve seen so far! It only took ten minutes for me to be overcome by that feeling I get whenever I’m watching something exceptional, the joy that after so many films I can still come across one capable of thrilling me like a child. North by Northwest did that from the get go, and I followed the events on the screen almost without breathing until the end. 100% (10/08/2009)

You don’t often see such an elaborate and still entertaining film, in which there is suspense, humor, romance, action and who know what else, without it getting in the way. Hitchcock doesn't wait for anything, he gets things right at the beginning and, with the help of the actors and Herrmann's predatory music, does whatever he wants with us for more than two hours. And we don't mind one bit. (29/04/2016)

A brilliant thriller with the protagonist’s wonderfully elaborated paranoia, the logic of a conspiracy thriller worked out to the last detail, and last but not least, a nice dose of black-humored trivialization, through which Hitchcock ironically winks at the viewer every now and then. It’s formally impeccable (the cinematography belongs in textbooks!), the acting is spot on (Cary Grant delivering cool lines with icy calm and Eva Marie Saint as the femme fatale is absolutely amazing), and on top of that, the tension builds up to the fabulous ending on Mount Rushmore. A flawless film that reflects the image of one thing only - pure genius! (29/10/2006)

Some of the scenes almost radiate naivety, the script twists logic beyond recognition, and the technical execution of certain shots looks ridiculous from today’s perspective. On the other hand, even today, the film is still entertaining and witty, Cary Grant is brilliant as the unfortunate Roger Tornhill and the whole film is extremely watchable. (13/08/2019)

Hitchcock as usual perfectly constructs the atmosphere, but nevertheless I was disappointed this time. In the introduction, Roger's paranoia fulfills all expectations (and Fincher was truly inspired by The Game), but the premature climax comes in the cult scene with the crop-dusting plane. Afterwards, it rather just weaves and weaves, only to finally reach a traditionally suspenseful finale. However, after two hours of intrigue, it does not resonate urgently enough. (06/08/2006)