Review of Hitchcock (2012) by Matt L — 02 Jun 2013

Alfred Hitchcock is and will always be one of the best and most influential filmmakers of all-time. He is responsible for some of the greatest films in history, including The Birds, North by Northwest, and Rear Window - and those are just to name a few. There is very little debate that Hitchcock was a man with visions ahead of his time and single-handedly paved the way for a new style of film-making. While Hitchcock is known for several film-making achievements, his greatest and most famous achievement is Psycho.

In the biographical film, Hitchcock, Anthony Hopkins stars as Alfred Hitchbcock during the period in his life where he decides to direct and adapt Psycho for the big screen. Strained by marital issues with his wife, Alma Reville (portrayed by Helen Mirren), and being forced to finance Psycho on his own, Hitchcock is put under great stress to make the movie into a success. Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, and Danny Huston also star in supporting roles.

Biographical films can easily take a turn for the worst, going from boring nonsense to just down right un-relatable drivel. Fortunately, Hitchcock garners the majority of its strength from the acting, while relying less on the sequence of events. Anthony Hopkins is borderline comical and masterful (as always) in the role of Alfred Hitchcock, yet once you get used to him in the role of Hitchcock, the feeling passes. However, Helen Mirren steals the show in this particular film with her Oscar-worthy portrayal of this conflicted character. Hitchcock may be the focal point of this film, but it's his wife, Alma, that really helps mold the man into the master (of suspense).

Running at just over an hour and a half, the story will quickly suck you into this interesting rendition of the behind-the-scenes workings of filming the original Hitchcock masterpiece, Psycho. At its core, this film is also a love story, however, not some modern day love story - but a story of a couple that faces being unfaithful to each other (whether it be a physical or psychological romance), with a collaborative goal of making Alfred Hitchcock's films the best they could possibly be. If nothing else, hopefully this film inspires you to watch Psycho, along with a few other Alfred Hitchcock classics.