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

116 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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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Everything comes together just right in this Alfred Hitchcock gem.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 23, 2024

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Zach Youngs

InSession Film

In spite of a few flaws, North by Northwest remains an unqualified triumph. It’s got some of the best humor, dark and otherwise, in any Hitchcock film and it never lags for a second of its run time.

Rated: A

Jul 25, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

A splashy adventure...a precursor for the kind of jet-setting, debonair intrigue that would become ubiquitous...

Sep 22, 2023

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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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David S

Always puts me in a good mood for some reason.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/28/24

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William B

My favorite Hitchcock film. Great Cary Grant's performance and very funny and interesting mistery film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Audience Member

This was a very good film. I expected it to be good because of the ratings on this website, and yeah pretty good. My only issue is with the ending, the ending was building to be this super suspenseful thing right? Then pulls the carpet from beneath your feet and cuts to them on the train. I thought that was lame. Other than that, I really enjoyed the cinematography, the acting was kind of meh… felt very stilted. Specifically the romance stuff, they talk like good friends not like lovers obsessed with one another. If you haven’t seen this film then definitely watch it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/24

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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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