Movie Review ... Hitchcock

 

For many, famed director Alfred Hitchcock is an enigma.  Although conjuring a huge array of hit films, it’s a brave person exploring his guarded life.  There was much more to the person who directed ‘North by Northwest’, ‘Vertigo’, ‘Rear Window’ with ‘Hitchcock’ doing its best to uncover the movie maestro.  Charting the relationship with his wife and actors during the making of one of his most famous works ‘Psycho’, cinema’s ‘Master of Suspense’ receives an unexpected treatment mirroring his surprising productions.

Attempting to direct one of the most controversial films of his career, Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) sets a tough schedule. Helped by his wife Alma (Helen Mirren), he faces a cast full of egos and opinions including Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) and Anthony Perkins (James D’Arcy).  Over the ensuing weeks he deals with various domestic and professional dramas with his skills sorely tested.  With the clock ticking towards the release date, he aims to make ‘Psycho’ a career milestone with his reputation and marriage on the line.

‘Hitchcock’ is a strange film failing to fully reveal its subject’s mind-set.  When concentrating on Psycho’s turbulent production, it’s very interesting although unfortunately more intent on examining his personal life.  This is where it falls apart as it bases the majority of the run-time on assumptions.  Nobody can exactly know what went on in Hitchcock’s marriage with the predictable bio-pic formula used to artificially create conflict.

This isn’t a slight against Hopkins and Mirren who do their best with what they’ve been given.  Once again they can only be good as the material with Sacha Gervasi’s direction lacking flair.  Their roles never rise above caricature with their subject’s real personas never fully uncovered.  It’s a wonder whether Hitchcock would have approved of any biography given how much he preferred letting his films speak for themselves.  Not every talent needs revealing with ‘Hitchcock’ only moderately succeeding in capturing his talent for the macabre.

Rather than exposing the myth behind the legend, ‘Hitchcock’s’ foray in constant speculation proves distracting.  Not particularly insightful or engrossing, hopefully it at least makes people seek out his movies which are far better than this less than stellar effort.

 

Movie Review Rating out of 10:  5

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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