To Catch a Thief

The big man was in jovial mood with this one. To Catch A Thief, is, when all is said and done, a softer entry on the great Alfred Hitchcock's CV. By his own admission it was a film he viewed as "lightweight", but such is the great mans talent, his softer cinematic efforts still punch the buttons and are films that many filmmakers can readily learn from. In this one Hitchcock is purely making an entertaining piece for those in the right frame of mind, a splendid mixture of comedy and romance which also culminates in no shortage of dramatic entertainment as well. Cary Grant is perfectly debonair as the cat burglar John Robie, who here has to catch a thief because he is the chief suspect for a spout of robberies on the French Riviera. Into the mix is that vision of beauty that is Grace Kelly, this is a woman who could melt the Antartic just by walking over it! Kelly as Frances Stevens spends the majority of the film trying to get into John Robie's pants and this puts a delightful sexual tension into the unfolding story. We get some sparkling scenes here, such as a firework display as the two protagonists flirt and then kiss, thus making the film easy on the eye, and some delicious slices of humour dot themselves throughout as Hitchcock indulges in his wink wink innuendo. The plinking score from Lyn Murray works a treat during a roof top cat sequence, while the ending stays just above average without really having an any over dramatic impact. All in all it's a very tidy effort that is always worth spending time with on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a glass of vino in hand. 7/10

Fluffy mystery-romance-thriller excels thanks to the wonderful charms of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. For me, this is a lesser Hitchcock film but still had plenty of fun and entertainment value even though there's nothing really noteworthy in terms of the story or any particular scene. **3.75/5**