To Catch A Thief

Of all the Hitchcock movies I have watched in my life, To Catch A Thief is the one that deviates most from the expected elements of a Hitchcock movie. Hitchcock’s reputation is for broody psychological thrillers, which sometimes border on horror, frequently featuring an everyman protagonist who is drawn into the story by forces outside his control, such as being falsely accused of a crime or mistaken for someone he is not. This movie is none of those things.

Set in the sparkling and sun dappled French riviera, To Catch A Thief is anything but broody. Long gone are the German expressionist inspired shots of Psycho and the hyper-stylised color palettes of Vertigo. In their place is an eye for the grandeur and beauty of its setting, shot in a way that does justice to its famous reputation. Gone too are the markers of a Hitchcockian thriller, replaced with a straightforward story with a genuine sense of fun. This time the protagonist isn’t an everyman, but a subject matter expert relevant to the story, and he isn’t drawn into the story by random chance, but because of his past. Despite all these deviations from the traditional Hitchcock formula, this movie is a blast.

To Catch A Thief is still, at its core, a mystery thriller. So while it may not carry all the trademark Hitchcock elements, the basic story is still well within his wheelhouse. The meticulous attention to detail and the mastery of tension and suspense aren’t absent, but rather complement the films lighter and more playful tone. There might not be a proverbial bomb under the table, but there is a game of cat and mouse between our hero and his enemies. For example, during one driving sequence, Hitchcock uses his trademark tools to heightening tension through a careening car chase all while the two leads, played by Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, engage in some scintillating dialogue designed to build their rapport.

Speaking of the two leads, they have great chemistry and their banter back and forth as their relationship develops is one of the highlights of the movie. I love a good bit of witty dialogue and this movie delivers. What To Catch A Thief gives up in traditional Hitchcock elements it more than makes up for in how deliciously fun it is to watch Grant and Kelly quip back and forth. It also features one of Hitchcock’s notorious, and in this case bordering on hilarious, visual euphemisms for sex employed during the film code era: a multicolored fireworks show exploding in the window while a couple “gets intimate.” This one small bit of silliness doesn’t detract much, if at all, from the rest of the movie and is more a fun quirk of the times than anything else.

This movie is often overlooked by Hitchcock aficionados, I think unfairly. Sure, it isn’t one of the taut thrillers that made him famous. It isn’t Vertigo, Rear Window, or Strangers On A Train. It doesn’t need to be. If you pretended not to know who made it, it would still be a great piece of filmmaking. Don’t let expectations keep you away from this witty, suspenseful, beautiful, exciting, and above all else fun little film.

Would Recommend: If you are interested in a light-hearted caper film in the vein of How To Steal A Million or Charade.

Would Not Recommend: If all you want from Hitchcock is the bona fide master of suspense.