"To Catch a Thief (1955 movie)- Review

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1955
Country: United States

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Romantic

Main cast: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Brigitte Auber, Charles Vaner

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review

''To Catch a Thief'' is as disappointing as it could be: dull and stupid. It's so unexpected, as it is directed by a genius like Alfred Hitchcock, whose excellent films like ''Strangers on a Train'', ''Psycho'' and ''Vertigo'' made us fall in love with their merits. And I looked forward to see similar thrills and have an enjoyable experience watching ''To Catch a Thief''. And how do I feel about this film? It's so awful...

Let's get this thing straight: the main thing which makes the whole movie terrible is the undeveloped characters, and the screenplay which is not up to the mark. There are some bad elements in the movie but these are the basic ones.

The protagonist of this film is John Robie (played by the marvelous Cary Grant). John used to be a notorious thief stealing jewelries. He was nicknamed ''The Cat''. Now, however, he had been imprisoned once, but was later granted parole. Now he lives an honest lifestyle, earning his living through his own beautiful vineyard.

A thief starts stealing jewelries imitating the techniques used by Robie. It is widely speculated that The Cat has restarted burglary. Police comes to his house, nevertheless he manages to escape them. He decides to make himself free from the accusations and to find the real thief.

He manages to acquire a list of the most expensive jewels and the people who own them. The first people on the list is are a middle-aged woman (played by Jessie Royce Landis) and her daughter Francie (played by Grace Kelly, the actress who had starred previously in Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder'' and ''Rear Window'').

While a romantic relation starts between Robie (disguised under the name of Mr Burns) and Francie, but Robie still has other matters to worry with. How will he catch the actual thief and make himself free from all the accusations?

While the story of the film may be, and it is, quite very interesting, the presentation is as dull as it can. By dull, I don't mean lifeless. It is a lively film filled with lively performances, but the presentation bothers me. Something about it is so unpleasant that made me dislike this film.

One of the few positive things I can say about this film is the cinematography. With great camera works, wonderful colors and great resolution, the film has a very impressive cinematography. Next, the green landscapes are delights to look at! The costumes and makeup used on the characters at the party near the end of the film are wonderful.

Performances are also generally excellent, with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly (in her last role in a Hitchcock movie) giving superb performances as the leads, and they are supported by Jessie Royce Landis (as Francie's mother Jessie), John Williams (the same actor who played the police inspector in ''Dial M for Murder'', Williams plays an insurance man in this film), Brigitte Auber (in an important role as Danielle), Charles Vaner, Jean Martinelli, Georgette Anys, and others.

But however, it is a very dull film, and is, to put it simply, a bad movie. I disliked it. It is not without merits, though. The scenic beauty, cinematography, the score, and the performances are delightful, yet the overall movie is unsatisfactory and disappointing; unexpectedly a bad movie.

2 out of 5!