North By Northwest (1959)

Cary Grant stars in the classic Hitchcock movie about a man who must go on the run to survive, after he is mistaken for a government spy.

Grant’s character, Roger, is a wise-cracking advertising executive, who lives the bachelor’s life, after two divorces. However, during a meeting in a swanky hotel, he is abducted by armed goons, and taken to a large estate house, where he is questioned about his secret life as a spy…one which he doesn‘t live. All of Roger’s protests fall on deaf ears, and the goons decide to stage a “suicide” by forcing Roger to drink a bottle of Bourbon and then drive him off a cliff. However, Roger manages to regain enough composure in order to avoid his death, and then elude the baddies.

Appearing in court for drunk driving, our hero attempts to convince the police of the evil plot which has befallen him, which again falls on deaf ears. Once the cops do investigate Roger’s story, they find nothing to corroborate it. The country estate has been wiped clean off all evidence, and several inhabitants lie and claim to have seen Roger drive off drunk the night before.

Once on the run, from both the authorities and the baddies, Roger crosses paths with the beautiful Eve (Eva Marie Saint), who is on a train with him, and manages to hide him from the authorities. Together the two embark on a journey of peril and danger, with a bit of betrayal mixed in.

A wonderful action/comedy/romance, that ticks all the boxes and stands up to the test of time. Most Hitchcock films have an everlasting quality about them, and North By Northwest has it in abundance. The plot is gripping and complex, the characters bold and engaging, and there is plenty of stunts and mayhem to keep you entertained. The script is a little bit cheesy, but the comedic value of Grant’s dialogue with Eva Marie Saint is invaluable.

For those who want to dip their toe into the ocean of Hitchcock’s legacy, this is the perfect film. It has all the elements that make a classic: complexity, depth, and bucket loads of charm.