Review of To Catch a Thief (1955) by Shae S — 26 May 2016

This movie is to Hitchcock as Roger Moore is to 007 - amusing, polished, and a little playful - but not enough grit, at least for me. Hitchcock couldn't have picked a more beautiful location - the scenery on the French Riviera is absolutely gorgeous, and he gives us so much of it that it's the best thing about the film.

The "wrong man" premise in this case is flimsy - a former cat burglar (Cary Grant) is suspected of being behind a new spate of robberies, and instead of just providing an alibi, he takes it on himself to run from the police and attempt to catch the new cat burglar himself. Sparks fly when he meets a young American woman (Grace Kelly), and while the pair are so cool and sophisticated it hardly seems passionate, Hitchcock goes ridiculously over the top in splicing in footage of fireworks spewing wildly upwards as the pair make out in one scene. My favorite character was neither Grant nor Kelly, but the plucky young French girl (Brigitte Auber) who wants to run off with Grant, quipping "Why do you want to buy an old car if you can get a new one cheaper? It will run better and last longer" while lounging on a swimming platform. Now -she's- sexy, but I digress.

The movie is just too soft - there's no edge, and no real tension - either in the drama around who has been committing the robberies, or in the romance between Grant and Kelly. Hitch takes us on a few car chases, one of which hugs the precipitous cliffs, but we never really feel danger. It's certainly watchable for the eye candy scenery though.