Suspense Movies
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Raymond Chandler, Czenzi Ormonde, Whitfield Cook, Ben Hecht, Patricia Highsmith
Main Actors: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker
One of the lesser known Hitchcock masterpieces. When I first saw this film I sat down not expecting much but I could not move from my seat once the film had started. Two men (Robert Walker and Farley Granger) meet one night on a lonely train. One man has an evil wife he can not divorce and one man has an overbearing mother he can not escape. A plot is hatched by Robert Walker's character for each man to murder each other's trouble. Farley Granger's character parts not taking it seriously. When his wife is murdered and he is suspected things get interesting. Maybe this film is overlooked because Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, or Grace Kelly are not in this movie but it should not stop you. See this movie.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Ernest Lehman
Main Actors: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
The quintessential Cary Grant/Hitchcock movie and that is saying much because there are so many great collaborations. Cary Grant's character has a case of mistaken identity going so far as that he is framed for murder. &nbps; Grant's quest for his innocence takes him on a train ride, yes, you have it north by northwest. He meets the beautiful Eva Marie Saint along the way and the rest goes from there. This film also contains one of the classic scenes in movie history. The scene with Grant running down a farm road while being chased by a crop duster. Classic.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: John Michael Hayes, Cornell Woolrich
Main Actors: James Stewart, Grace Kelly
The Hitchcock dominance of this category continues with my personal favorite. A simple story about a man who is home-stricken by a broken leg. All he has for entertainment is the view from his window and the interesting neighbors in it. He is interveningly interrupted by his nurse and Grace Kelly who would brighten anyone's day. What are his neighbors up to? Is it all good or all bad? Well you will have to watch it and see.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Samuel A. Taylor, Alec Coppel
Main Actors: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Jimmy Stewart plays a private investigator who is hired to investigate a wife (Kim Novak) of an old friend. He follows her strange path of through a number of days including some attempts to take her own life. As he watches her and gets to know her he becomes obsessed with her then something happens that changes everything brought on by his greatest fear. Heights. Then he must deal with what happens and eventually solves the mystery that is Kim Novak's character.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Robert Bloch, Joseph Stefano
Main Actors: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
The final show of dominance for Hitchcock on this page at least. The movie that scared so many people that some still refuse to see it. Who could fear the kind and gentle man who respects his mother and has taxidermy as a hobby. Who knows but maybe there is a reason to watch your back in the shower.
Director: Norman Jewison
Writers: Richard Jessup, Ring Lardner Jr., Terry Southern
Main Actors: Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson
The greatest poker movie of all time bar none. It captures every aspect of the game: its suspense, passion and potential downfalls. With one of the coolest actors of all time (Steve McQueen) and the great Edward G. Robinson pitted together head to head across the table and how could you go wrong. Next add a tremendous secondary cast and the simple storyline that is the Cincinati Kid becomes great.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Main Actors: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment
A young boy (Haley Joel Osment) is heading through his existence with a secret. His single mother is constantly worrying about him. His schoolmates call him a freak. A psychiatrist (Bruce Willis) brings in on to himself to bring to help this little boy. Chances are you know what this is even if you have not seen this movie. It became one of the catch phrases of 1999. This was Shyamalan's first and best movie to date. He captures the suspense genre better than present director. His movies have a very Hitchcockian feel to them. Bruce Willis was also good. What truly makes this movie is young Haley Joel Osments performance. His ability is far beyond his years and he did get an oscar nomination. Along with the acting nominations the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Writing (for a screenplay written for film) and Best Director.
Director: Stanley Donen
Writer: Peter Stone, Marc Behm
Main Actors: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
The best Hitchcock movie that was not done by Hitchcock. &nbps; Audrey Hepburn's characters's husband is thrown off a train to his death in the first scene of this movie. Why was he murdered? Where has all the money gone that her husband seemed to posses before she went on a vacation? Why are all these men trying to get her to give them the money that no longer seems to exist? Why is Cary Grant's so charming yet trying to decieve her? All of these questions will be answered in this film and so much more. This movie contains an excellent script with quite possibly some of the best witty banter ever seen in the theatre and more twists and turns than you can shack a tree at. Cary Grant's and Audrey Hepburn's chemistry together is just magical. Combine that with an ensemble cast including James Coburn, Walter Matthau, and George Kennedy and you have a true classic. A must see.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, John Milius, Howard Sackler, Robert Shaw
Main Actors: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
The number two thriller of all time according the the American Film Institute only beaten out by who else, Hitchcock and his "Psycho." The total sum of the plot is that a large shark starts attacking people off a small New England beach town and someone has to do something about it. If that was it, this movie would not be on this list. The someone that takes it on himself to stop this shark is the town sheriff played by Roy Scheider. He is joined by an goofy little marine biologist played by Richard Dreyfuss and an old cranky, crusty and crabby fisherman/sharkhunter played by Robert Shaw. Its almost worth seeing this movie entirely based on Shaws performance. People were so scared by this movie that they have yet to go back into the water thirty years later. This was the film that made Spielberg and what a time for movies it has been since then.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Main Actors: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
What would you life be like if you could not make any new memories. You could remember everything up to the point that you were shot and your wife was murdered and nothing since then. This movie attempts to answer that already unique question and presents it in a way that will completely blow your mind. A warning. You will be confused for the first fifteen minutes until you figure out how this film is chronologically runs, hint hint. Guy Pearce plays this cursed individual whose now soul purpose is to find the one that murdered his wife. How he lives his life t achieve this purpose is a matter of routine and a few tattoos. You will have to see that for yourself. What further complicates his life is his relationships with his acquaintances along the journey who claim to be his friends. The "friends" are played by Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. Christopher Nolan brings this unique vision to us as director and partial writer. Since Momento, he continues to impress with the film Insomnia and his latest,
Batman Begins, single handedly rejuvenating the series.