Is this some of the least subtle WWII propaganda known to man? Yes. Does it get annoying? Eh sometimes, really only the final scene is a bit much for me.
One of the things about Hitchcock’s filmography is he made an insane amount of movies. Everyone knows about the S tier movies, and there are so many of those, but that means his many other less than perfect movies get forgotten or overlooked when talking about his work. Like I said, this is not subtle WWII propaganda, but almost everything else in this movie besides that is absolutely fantastic. It’s a nice mashup of so many of his other films (and future films), and it’s a fun ride. There are a number of sequences (the staged assassination, the windmill scene, the plane, etc.) that are all timer Hitchcock scenes. The mystery isn’t the most mind blowing or tense story Hitchcock ends up telling in his career but it is damn solid and engaging. It’s not his funniest film, but it’s got a lot of incredibly funny one liners that keep the movie light when it needs to be.
Aside from the propaganda bringing the film down a tad, the only other major problem I’d say I have with the film is the romance. Usually Hitchcock’s movies have romances that range from pretty acceptable to great romances. This one is actively stupid and detracts from the plot. The lead and the love interest interact for AT THE ABSOLUTE MOST, 3 minutes of screen time, before he ends up confessing his love to her and they agree to get married. Within those 3 minutes, the only dialogue they exchange is exposition or quippy jokes. The romance is so shallow and I just do not care about it at any point. Luckily the romance occupies such a small amount of the runtime that I can mostly overlook it.
4.5 stars might be a tad too generous for this movie, but I’m a Hitchcock enjoyer. I was intrigued, I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat, and at other points I was shocked. What else could I ask for from one of his films?
Is this some of the least subtle WWII propaganda known to man? Yes. Does it get annoying? Eh sometimes, really only the final scene is a bit much for me.
One of the things about Hitchcock’s filmography is he made an insane amount of movies. Everyone knows about the S tier movies, and there are so many of those, but that means his many other less than perfect movies get forgotten or overlooked when talking about his work. Like I said, this is not subtle WWII propaganda, but almost everything else in this movie besides that is absolutely fantastic. It’s a nice mashup of so many of his other films (and future films), and it’s a fun ride. There are a number of sequences (the staged assassination, the windmill scene, the plane, etc.) that are all timer Hitchcock scenes. The mystery isn’t the most mind blowing or tense story Hitchcock ends up telling in his career but it is damn solid and engaging. It’s not his funniest film, but it’s got a lot of incredibly funny one liners that keep the movie light when it needs to be.
Aside from the propaganda bringing the film down a tad, the only other major problem I’d say I have with the film is the romance. Usually Hitchcock’s movies have romances that range from pretty acceptable to great romances. This one is actively stupid and detracts from the plot. The lead and the love interest interact for AT THE ABSOLUTE MOST, 3 minutes of screen time, before he ends up confessing his love to her and they agree to get married. Within those 3 minutes, the only dialogue they exchange is exposition or quippy jokes. The romance is so shallow and I just do not care about it at any point. Luckily the romance occupies such a small amount of the runtime that I can mostly overlook it.
4.5 stars might be a tad too generous for this movie, but I’m a Hitchcock enjoyer. I was intrigued, I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat, and at other points I was shocked. What else could I ask for from one of his films?
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