"North by Northwest" (1959) - RE-WATCH

Rank on the AFI List: #55

Synopsis (according to AFI)
Grant is the Hitchcockian everyman caught up in something he doesn't understand as he travels from New York to Mount Rushmore in this mire of spies, counterspies, and romance.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
My wife went out with some friends for the evening, so I decided to do a "re-watch" of an AFI movie I own and love: "North by Northwest". I rated it a 10 out of 10 on my very first post because it's one of my favorite movies of all time and a down-right fun adventure. But now that my film critiquing is in full swing with the AFI list, I was curious to see if I would still consider it a perfect 10.

Surpisingly enough, I ended up finding some things that I didn't really like about it, but the cool stuff (and there's a ton of it) became even better during this most recent viewing.

What "cool stuff" became even better this time around? Well, the suspense, for one thing. I don't think I ever really appreciated just how much of it is in this movie. Honestly, this is my favorite Hitchcock film, even though I always felt this didn't seem very Hitchcockian. That is, until I watched it again this weekend. There's so much suspense in this movie that I either didn't pick up on before, or I simply forgot about since the last time I watched it. But the suspense is there, and it's extremely well done (as you'd expect from Hitchcock).

Another great aspect to "North by Northwest" is the plot. It's such a fun scenario: Cary Grant as a normal guy who's mistaken for a spy and has to go on a cross-country chase as both a target for the bad guys and a fugitive from justice, all while trying to figure out what the heck is going on. (If that description doesn't peak your interest to see this movie, I'll assume you don't like adventures.)

And I have to mention how much I love James Mason as the villain. He is one of the coolest, most debonair bad guys ever (he's right up there with Hans Gruber from "Die Hard", in my opinion), and I admit that a big reason I feel that way is his voice. Take the following dialogue exchange, for example (my favorite line by James Mason):

Cary Grant's character: "Apparently the only role that will satisfy you is when I play dead."
James Mason's character: "Your very next role, and you'll be quite convincing, I assure you."

It takes an extremely cool, suave, and charming bad guy to pull off a line like that.

What Makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Even for being made in 1959, this is one of the best adventure movies ever. I may be a little biased since I love this movie so much, but AFI agrees with me, and even members of IMDB.com have ranked it as the #30 best movie of all time. So clearly my opinion isn't skewed from the overall public opinion very much. I just think it's a travesty it was only nominated for 3 Academy awards and didn't win any of them (though it did win a "Best Motion Picture" and "Best Action Drama" from other award ceremonies, as well as earned Alfred Hitchcock an International film festival award).

Complaints...
Now that I watched this with a more critical eye, I have found some things that prevent this from being a "perfect" movie for me. First, there are a few somewhat awkward moments in the acting that cause me to snicker, even when it's not supposed to be funny (nothing major or really worth noting, but they're there). The other thing I have a problem with is Cary Grant's mother being (and looking) the same age as him. Yes, the actress was funny and good in that role, but casting someone who looks like they actually COULD be his mother would have been better.

LET ME SUM UP...
"North by Northwest" is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a great adventure film with plenty of suspense, funny moments, and classic scenes. Cary Grant and James Mason are so much fun as the protagonist and antagonist, and while there are some tiny bits of awkward acting, it's still a movie I love to own and watch regularly.

MY RATING: 9.5/10 (0.5 lower from my previous rating)