North by Northwest

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North by Northwest

Released Jul 17, 1959

2h 16m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

118 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. Soon Vandamm's henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences.

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Critics Consensus

Gripping, suspenseful, and visually iconic, this late-period Hitchcock classic laid the groundwork for countless action thrillers to follow.

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

The plotting is tightly wound and the thrills are executed with devilish panache.

Aug 29, 2022

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Though not as cleverly original as Strangers on a Train, or as cleverly sexy as Notorious, this is one of Hitchcock’s most entertaining American thrillers.

Jul 6, 2022

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Barbara L. Wilson

Philadelphia Inquirer

Alfred Hitchcock's new thriller, North by Northwest, is one of those no holds barred films. For better than two hours, he lets the Technicolor melodrama ramble across the VistaVision screen while gleefully setting traps for his hero.

Jun 9, 2021

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Chris Barsanti

PopMatters

The last time Alfred Hitchcock delivered a big success of a film with stars on the marquee and an A-lister behind the typewriter.

Jan 8, 2025

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Harry Solomons

Loud and Clear Reviews

One of Hitchcock’s crowning achievements, North By Northwest remains as fun as ever and serves as the finest example of a genre it helped to create.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 8, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Everything comes together just right in this Alfred Hitchcock gem.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 23, 2024

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Jo Ann S

One of Hitchcock's best!! Great story, suspense, drama, romance!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

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Joan

Classic Hitchcock and Cary Grant! Suspenseful and we'll written and directed! Not to be missed on the big screen!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/22/24

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Marco A

My favorite Hitchcock movie and one of my all time favorites overall. Just pure fun and enjoyment, perfect balance of thrills/adventure/comedy/romance with great dialogues. A film that had the style of Bond before Bond, but that would have been one of the top Bond films all time as well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/23/21

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thiago s

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é bacana, o filme é meio de perseguição com uma cena boa do Roger correndo do avião que depois o avião se chocou com um carreta com tanque atrás e o avião explodiu, no final roger salvou a sua futura mulher no penhasco do Mountain rushmore e depois os dois ficam juntos e acaba o filme.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

Ian S

Maybe not top tier Hitchcock but very entertaining all the same. Witty dialogue and nice performances by the three leads. Visually strong with iconic scenes on Mount Rushmore and with the crop duster.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/01/25

Full Review

Daniel S

While there isn’t really a single scene that is anachronistically out of place, the sum total of scenes pose countless improbabilities that render this work directionally silly and anachronistic in that this movie simply could not be made today. On top of that, Hitchcock’s notorious use of women and his awful rendition of human sexuality are appalling by contemporary standards. Difficult to watch really. And of course Cary Grant is doing his best version of Jack Lemmon again. Such a goof.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

Full Review

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Cary Grant

Roger O. Thornhill

Eva Marie Saint

Eve Kendall

James Mason

Phillip Vandamm

Leo G. Carroll

The Professor

Martin Landau

Leonard

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North by Northwest: Trailer 1

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North by Northwest (1959) Presented by TCM: Fathom Events Trailer

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Synopsis

This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. Soon Vandamm's henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Ernest Lehman
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 17, 1959, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 19, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2009
Runtime: 2h 16m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

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