Review of To Catch a Thief (1955) by Diego T — 11 Jan 2014

Typically, Alfred Hitchcock tries to weave incredible stories with suspense, depth to the characters, and multileveled plotlines. Unfortunately, he clearly didn't bother with that here, as To Catch a Thief is an involving yet ultimately simplistic yarn designed to make money off of its predictable story, not to win awards. Hitchcock himself said that it was a "Lightweight story," and truer words have never been spoken. It's just not very creative.

Cary Grant stars as John Robie, a former cat burglar who is fingered in a recent spate of jewel thievery in the south of France. I'll admit right now that I did not watch this out of my own free will; my mom was watching it and I figured I would too. And I'm sure that people like her loved it-- it has exotic French scenery, Carey Grant, and Grace Kelly. However, I found it a little lacking, specifically in the following part.

Grant tries to clear his name by apprehending the actual burglar, which would have been perfectly fine... but the way in which he does so flies in the face of everything logical. He gets a list of houses with expensive jewelry from an insurance agent, who is perfectly compliant in helping him out. So, one quick question: WHY IN THE FUCK WOULD AN INSURANCE COMPANY GIVE AN EX-CAT BURGLAR A LIST OF HOMES WITH JEWELRY IN THEM??? And they're FUCKING INSURED!!!

Now, some might say that the guy who recommended Grant to the insurance agent was a friend of his, so he was a semi-reputable source... but he was a former cat burglar too. So either this insurance guy needs to get some new friends or stop being so fucking naive. Anyway... I sometimes overlook lapses in logic, but it seems as if Hitchcock has made a habit of glossing over some pretty gaping ones. I won't even get into why the birds don't attack people just walking around in The Birds... whatever.

I will give the movie this, however-- although the real burglar was hiding in plain sight all along (I won't spoil it), I never guessed who it was. It wasn't exactly a twisty plot, but it got things done, and at the end of the day, it's a pretty serviceable thriller/romance. Final Score for To Catch a Thief: 6/10 stars. It's decent, but nowhere close to being Hitchcock's best. The material is flimsy and the narrative is consistently light, but I suppose that making dark and suspenseful movies can get old after a while.