Alfred Hitchcock was a master of dark and mischievous thrillers, especially stories that featured an innocent man on the run from both the police and the villains. This 1955 Vistavision film, based on a largely forgotten David Dodge novel, marked a change of pace and style for Hitchcock. A light, elegant, playful movie with flashes of suspense but a greater emphasis on the glamorous locale and characters, To Catch A Thief is simultaneously easy to watch and totally disposable. The story and the action are almost secondary to the cool interplay between Hitchcock's two favourite actors (united for the only time), Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
A series of daring jewellery burglaries on the French Riveira are suspected as the work of "The Cat", a.k.a John Robie (Cary Grant). A couple of decades earlier, Robie was responsible for a series of identical crimes. But Robie is perturbed by the latest outbreak, as he has absolutely nothing to do with it (apparently his wartime escapades as a resistance fighter have tempered his taste for crime). As the noose tightens, with the police pushing hard to track down and apprehend the innocent Robie, he enlists the aid of beautiful Francie Stevens (Grace Kelly) and her mother (Jessie Royce Landis), to help him trap the real thief.
Although this was a surprisingly conventional film for Hitch, it remains an enjoyable experience. To Catch A Thief was a box office hit in its day, although the critics (spoiled by Hitchcock's recent innovative, ground-breaking movies like Lifeboat, Notorious, Strangers On A Train and Rear Window) found it somewhat perfunctory. Ironically, To Catch A Thief went on to be one of Hitchcock's most frequently imitated films, the pick of the imitators being Stanley Donen's 1960 classic Charade. Grant and Kelly enjoy a fabulous on-screen chemistry, which hits a cinematic high point in the fondly remembered scene where Kelly, clad in an elegant evening gown, kisses her impossibly smooth co-star at her bedroom door. Another excellent scene for which the film is often remembered is the climax, in which the real burglar is caught on a mansion rooftop. In between the high points, To Catch A Thief is actually quite forgettable, with little in the John Michael Hughes script to shrug off the general air of relaxed, civilised frothiness. Still, if you must watch a light-hearted caper of this kind, then you may as well seek out this silky-smooth Hitchcock offering.
A series of daring jewellery burglaries on the French Riveira are suspected as the work of "The Cat", a.k.a John Robie (Cary Grant). A couple of decades earlier, Robie was responsible for a series of identical crimes. But Robie is perturbed by the latest outbreak, as he has absolutely nothing to do with it (apparently his wartime escapades as a resistance fighter have tempered his taste for crime). As the noose tightens, with the police pushing hard to track down and apprehend the innocent Robie, he enlists the aid of beautiful Francie Stevens (Grace Kelly) and her mother (Jessie Royce Landis), to help him trap the real thief.
Although this was a surprisingly conventional film for Hitch, it remains an enjoyable experience. To Catch A Thief was a box office hit in its day, although the critics (spoiled by Hitchcock's recent innovative, ground-breaking movies like Lifeboat, Notorious, Strangers On A Train and Rear Window) found it somewhat perfunctory. Ironically, To Catch A Thief went on to be one of Hitchcock's most frequently imitated films, the pick of the imitators being Stanley Donen's 1960 classic Charade. Grant and Kelly enjoy a fabulous on-screen chemistry, which hits a cinematic high point in the fondly remembered scene where Kelly, clad in an elegant evening gown, kisses her impossibly smooth co-star at her bedroom door. Another excellent scene for which the film is often remembered is the climax, in which the real burglar is caught on a mansion rooftop. In between the high points, To Catch A Thief is actually quite forgettable, with little in the John Michael Hughes script to shrug off the general air of relaxed, civilised frothiness. Still, if you must watch a light-hearted caper of this kind, then you may as well seek out this silky-smooth Hitchcock offering.