“Beware, all men are potential murderers. And for good reason.” – Alfred Hitchcock
Number of Times Seen – Twice (20 Jan 2013 and 10 Apr 2019)
Brief Synopsis – As the famed Director Alfred Hitchcock tries to get his new movie off the ground, he has many new problems arise both personally and professionally.
My Take on it – This is a film that I saw not long after it came out yet didn’t recall much of the movie since it didn’t make such a grand impression on me back then.
I hoped that a rewatch would help rectify that.
Unfortunately, this film has a very interesting premise but it just doesn’t manage to find a way to keep it interesting throughout the run time of the movie.
Anthony Hopkins is a superb actor, yet something seems off with his impression/imitation/impersonation of the Master of suspense that takes so much away from the way one could view this film since it desn’t come across as being realistic enough.
The story presented here doesn’t flow well enough at all and it definitely helps if the viewer is familiar enough with the film Psycho (1960).
This helps the viewer to catch much of what happens throughout the course of the film since it directly references so much of one of Hitchcock’s most famous films.
In addition to Hopkins, the cast featured here is extremely talented but throughout the film something always feel off about the way that things move along.
This is quite unfortunately because this film has so much more potential than is actuated here.
Bottom Line – Interesting idea that doesn’t work as well as one would hope. Hopkins does a strange imitation of Hitchcock that doesn’t manage to seem realistic enough. The story itself doesn’t flow well enough and it obviously helps if someone knows the storyline of the film Psycho (1960) in order to catch much of hat happens throughout the course of the film. In addition to Hopkins, the cast is quite talented but something constantly feels off that would have helped make this film much more enjoyable.
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Dame Helen Mirren, who plays Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville, had also met the real Sir Alfred Hitchcock when he approached her for a part as a murder victim in his penultimate film, Frenzy (1972). Mirren turned down the role, a decision she later regretted. (From IMDB)
Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)
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