+++1/2
Technical masterpiece that is also a clever murder mystery about a man (Ray Milland) who must think fast when his plot to kill his wealthy wife (Grace Kelly) doesn't go quite as planned. Though it will keep you guessing throughout, the film is best in the early going, when the "game" still threatens to turn serious. But, no, in the end, it's just a highly polished cat-and-mouse match. Not that that detracts from Hitchcock's precise direction, Milland's amusing urbanity, or Kelly's sophisticated charm, but it is a caution not to expect the edge of Hitchcock's Rope or Rear Window. Also with Robert Cummings as a mystery writer who tries unsuccessfully to match wits with real cop Anthony Dawson. Based on the play by Frederick Knott and originally filmed in 3D.
Technical masterpiece that is also a clever murder mystery about a man (Ray Milland) who must think fast when his plot to kill his wealthy wife (Grace Kelly) doesn't go quite as planned. Though it will keep you guessing throughout, the film is best in the early going, when the "game" still threatens to turn serious. But, no, in the end, it's just a highly polished cat-and-mouse match. Not that that detracts from Hitchcock's precise direction, Milland's amusing urbanity, or Kelly's sophisticated charm, but it is a caution not to expect the edge of Hitchcock's Rope or Rear Window. Also with Robert Cummings as a mystery writer who tries unsuccessfully to match wits with real cop Anthony Dawson. Based on the play by Frederick Knott and originally filmed in 3D.