Hitchcock (2012) Movie Review

Good evening, tonight I am reviewing a delightful tale about the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

Now if there are those in the audience tonight who suffer from insomnia, Mr.Hitchcock was kind enough to inform us of the cure to such a dreadful ailment.

These tablets must be taken internally and can only be used with this tool.

For tonight's entertainment, I present to you the review of the 2012 film "Hitchcock"

Story

Hitchcock takes place in the year 1959, when Hitchcock was filming his masterpiece "Psycho" .

The movie shows the struggle that Alfred Hitchcock went through in order to make the film.

The film opens up with the premiere of his latest film "North by Northwest" he comes out of the premiere and is asked by a reporter "You're the most famous director in the history of the medium, but you're 60 years old, shouldn't you just quite while you're ahead?"

Hitchcock realizes that he needs to find something "fresh" something "different" from his past work, what he finds is the book "Psycho" written by Robert Bloch in 1959 which was inspired by the macabre crimes of Ed Gein.

While reading Psycho, Hitchcock takes a great deal of inspiration from the book to the point it begins to take him over. Becoming awoken in the night by dreams of Ed Gein.

While this is going on his wife Alma Reville(played by Helen Mirren) is being talked to about a movie adaptation of a book wrote by Whitfield Cook(played by Danny Huston)

Movie

The acting from every actor and actress in this film is superb.

Anthony Hopkins does a great job as Alfred Hitchcock, he talks like him and sounds like him but you'll still hear Anthony Hopkins from all of that makeup. Helen Mirren of course gives a terrific performance and Danny Huston as Whitt.

With these great performances comes with a questionable interpretation and enjoyable film.

Throughout the film Hitchcock is confronted by Ed Gein in his imagination, with this you would get the impression that Hitchcock was a psycho himself especially seeing how the film also shows Hitchcock peaking at one of the actresses from the film. It gives you the impression that Hitchcock was himself a psycho but the truth of the matter is, no one really knows who Hitchcock was except for those that knew him.

Hitchcock was a  sophisticated man but also very private, so any assumption as to who he was as a person was left to the imagination. Is the Hitchcock Hopkins portrays the real Hitchcock? I can't tell you.

Aside from the interpretation the film itself was very enjoyable.

Throughout the entire film, watching Anthony Hopkins talk and act like Hitchcock is fun. Seeing Hitchcock place all the pieces together to make his masterpiece is what keeps you hooked into the film, seeing the struggles that Hitchcock goes through to create the film although might not be true, is still something to enjoy when he climbs over the obstacles stopping him from creating this movie that in a sense is possessing him.

He doesn't want to stop creating the movie he is so passionate about.

Along with that struggle of creating the movie of his dreams, Hitchcock is also struggling with the relationship between him and his wife Alma.

Although Alma doesn't like seeing Hitchcock  so passionate about a film based on a book inspired by a psychopath, she wants to see the movie done. Not for the reason you think it is, but in a way to get her husband back.

In the film Alma leaves to work writing the screenplay to Whitfields' book but you get the sense that she's doing it because it's like working with her husband again on a new film. Something you realize later that she enjoys to do with her husband.

When Hitchcock and Alma begin to work together to finish the film, it's fun to watch as if  another Hitchcock has come into play and now two masters of suspense are creating their masterpiece.

You want to see Hitchcock and Alma work together and finish the film to see Alfred achieve his goal and see Alma reunite with her husband.

The Verdict

Hitchcock is a good movie.

Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock is something that movie buffs who have enjoyed Hitchcock's work in the past to see.

It's a relatively short film but it makes up for it with great performances from everyone you see in the film, it's like you're actually watching Psycho being created in front of your eyes.

For that I give Hitchcock a 7 out of 10

The film is worthy of a purchase, having this movie in your film library will be nice. You can pop this film out every once in awhile with some popcorn on the side.