North By Northwest Review (Classic Write-Up)

It's practically become a custom for modern spy movies to incorporate the plot thread of a normal person (typically the lead character) getting wrapped up in spy shenanigans to sometimes humorous, other times dramatic, effect. Just look at offerings from 2010 onward like Cars 2, Killers, Bridge Of Spies, Argo, Abduction and (kinda) Salt. It's easy to see why this storytelling device is utilized frequently since it allows for the lead character to engage in high-concept spy going-ons while also being the type of everyday individual the audience can immediately relate to. Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock could be considered a "hipster" in this one case, since he was utilizing that plot scenario "before it was cool" way back in 1959 with his (rightfully) acclaimed motion picture North By Northwest.

In this version of the recurring "innocent person plopped into spy antics", the innocent person in question is Roger O. Thornhill (played by silver screen legend Cary Grant), a man whose simply enjoying some drinks when he's accosted by some burly brutes and taken to their boss, who believes Thornhill to be American super-spy George Kaplan. Unable to convince his adversaries that he's simply a mild-mannered advertising executive, Thornhill attempts to find answers behind the folks who kidnapped him and George Kaplan, which ends up resulting in him being framed for murder. Now on the lam, he encounters a lovely young woman by the name of Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint).

Sparks begin to fly between Eve and Roger, but if you truly believe Eve is everything she says she is, well, the film has got more than a few shockers in store for you. The plot of North By Northwest has enough twists and turns to make even the most towering rollercoaster green with envy and it's a lot fun to see these well-developed characters and talented actors navigate their way through the labyrinth of deception lurking in this tale. While all of the characters find themselves caught off-guard at differing points of the story, it's mostly our endearing protagonist Roger O. Thornhill who finds himself most routinely shocked at the various shocking plot developments.

It'd be easy to turn Roger into an overly stylized doofus engaging in Three Stooges-esque slapstick that would have struggled to earn audience investment, while it must have been similarly tempting to abruptly shift him into being a bad-ass midway through the story. Instead, Roger consistently remains a mild-mannered individual who tries to retain his composure no matter the circumstances (upon being first kidnapped, he notes that he takes grievance with this turn of events since he has tickets to the theater that night), but instead frequently reacts with conventionally human responses like overwhelming fear. Cary Grant is able to play that specific demeanor beautifully, earning both plenty of laughs and audience sympathy in his effortlessly charming performance.

Now, this may be a contrarian opinion, but this film has convinced me that this Alfred Hitchcock fellow may have a real knack for instilling viewers with a palpable sense of suspense. In all seriousness, Hitchcock turns in sublime work in the director's chair, as does cinematographer Robert Burks, whose luscious visuals practically pop off the screen in the glorious HD transfer that can be seen on the film's Blu-Ray release. Also noteworthy from a visual perspective is how yellow and green turn up as easily the most dominant colors in the film's color palette, particularly in sequences taking place in crowded cities. It appears that the usage of these specific colors is to inculcate a more serene atmosphere that clashes with the more intense story of North By Northwest, though even removed from my (likely wrong) inferred subtext, the color choices work well as simply being visually pleasing.

Even with all of these virtues (and plenty of others that sadly I couldn't find space to mention in this review), one of the most successful elements of North By Northwest has to be the performance by Eva Marie Saint as the mysterious Eve Kendall. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman does an exemplary job pacing out the various reveals of her character while the banter between Eve and Roger (infused with a major dose of natural chemistry between Cary Grant Eve and Marie Saint) is irresistibly adorable. Call me crazy, but I'll easily take North By Northwest over any of the modern day films that utilize the standard plotline of "innocent person getting wrapped up in spy shenanigans".