The late Alfred Hitchcock, known as the “Master of Suspense” for those living under a rock, crafted some of the most articulate thrillers/mysteries, and eventually horror, of the 20th century (a universal opinion stated by the majority). With this telling, the creative minds behind the lens are focusing on the period when the quirky director made what many consider his most important film, and by default, his most triumphant: 1960’s Psycho.
Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins), or “Hitch” as he introduces himself as, is kind of bored due to not having any material that gets him excited to helm the director’s chair again. Coming off the success of North by Northwest, studio heads at Paramount are hoping he can churn out another picture that covered similar themes. But the methodical and subtly arrogant guy, who is always dressed in a black suit-and-tie, wants to take it to another level when he comes across news clippings, and then a book (Psycho), articulating the sadistic story of murderer Ed Gein (Michael Wincott). He becomes so determined to make this ambitious feature, that when the studio suits refuse to fund it, Hitch takes full risk and finances it on his own.
With everything on the line, the only person that he trusts to help make decisions on this delicate production is his loyal wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren being excellent once again). Despite Alma putting up with her husband always “flirting” with his leading ladies, she understands him, and is truly the only one that he’ll listen to. But with the pressure of this production – that could perhaps define his legacy (in his mind) – stress on-and-off the set put the entire film, and his marriage, in dire jeopardy.
It all starts with Hopkins, who is delightfully creepy as the infamous director. His persona is similar to the musical intro that opened all his television shows. For those that are lost with that last statement, let’s just say Hopkins can appear unapproachable and have zero personality; but his dry quick wit – even if it’s just with a low-key glance – shows the guy isn’t all gloom-and-doom and actually has an alluring charisma about him. The rest of the cast, that features James D’Arcy as actor “Anthony Perkins” and Scarlett Johansson as lead actress “Janet Leigh,” slide right into the time period and play well off Hopkins and Mirren. Jessica Biel does just above cameo work as actress “Vera Miles;” but her moments could have easily been placed on the cutting room floor (or perhaps find a better actress to make us give a rat’s ass).
Audiences get a flavoring on Hitchcock’s lifestyle, both past and present, but a lot of it is just glossed over. But to be fair, the focus is just on the events surrounding the making of Psycho; so you can’t blame the screenplay for not elaborating on certain elements of his lifestyle that are intriguing; simply because a barrage of flashback sequences can interrupt the flow of the presentation (see J. Edgar). For the Hitchcock fans, the pacing and mechanics (i.e. cinematography) nearly emulate how the good director would have shot this particular flick if he were alive today.
If one needs a cinematic comparison, this plays similar to last year’s My Week with Marilyn; with how audiences received a glimpse into Marilyn Monroe’s life outside of the spotlight.
Overall, Hitchcock is a fascinating watch and finds a tantalizing balance of pulling the curtain back on the man, and the ground-breaking movie he created back then.
http://www.examiner.com/review/movie-review-hitchcock-reveals-just-enough
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