![]() ![]() That's why it endures: there's an element of wish fulfilment in every heist film, or at least the fun of dissecting where it went wrong, and how you could pull off your own perfect job.In between his suspense masterpieces,Alfred Hitchcock sometimes liked to work on less intense projects,and this is one of them.There isn't much opportunities for palm-sweating tension or balletically-composed thrills as you'd expect from old Hitch,but in TO CATCH A THIEF this seems quite deliberate.The intention from the very start is partaking in a light comedy-thriller,and on this level it is very enjoyable.And accomplished performers such as Cary Grant,Grace Kelly,Jessie Royce Landis and John Williams further help to give it further resonance and quality.The one disappointment in the film is it's slow pace.There are some parts in the film that drag and produce lethargy,but the beautiful locations,photography and cast save it,including a witty and sometimes surprisingly risqué script which caused some concern from censors at the time.Grant and Kelly rank as one of the best romantic couples ever on screen,and rub genuine sparks off each other.Even at 50 years old,Grant is as handsome,if not more handsome,than he ever was previously,and also looks amazingly lithe,agile and fit,as befits a retired cat burglar,and despite being almost double Grace Kelly's age,is wholly convincing as her suitor.Grace herself never looked more alluring and ravishing,and Jessie Royce Landis and John Williams provide fine support.Williams himself is barely a year older than Grant,yet you wouldn't suspect that at all when they're together on screen,and how ludicrous it is compared to Grant when towards the film's end Kelly puts a relieved head on his shoulder(even Williams himself seems embarrassed!).Such is Grant's eternal youthfulness that Miss Landis played his mother in the superior NORTH BY NORTHWEST(1959) the fact is she's a few months younger than Cary! There's a well-known tragic coda to the film the later titled Princess Grace of Monaco lost her life in a car accident on the very same stretches of road that Hitchcock filmed a chase sequence,but barring this sad fact TO CATCH A THIEF is still very decent Hitchcock,not great Hitchcock.But very decent Hitchcock is still far better than 95% of other directors,so there's no problem in watching and enjoying this film. The thieves became the clever ones, the funny ones, the wry, snappy, stylish ones the law and the guy being ripped off were out to stop their – and our – fun. ![]() In the Sixties, a campier, more playful sensibility in films like Basil Dearden's The League of Gentlemen invited us to allow ourselves to be charmed by the roguish, charismatic schemers liberating cash from people who could afford it. Artwork: Full Card Spell Sounds: Select Spell Deep Strength Gain 7 Attack when attacking Delves. 1:1 ( Deep Strength, Extreme Greed, Agile) MAX 18 27 7 0 One jump ahead of the breadline. Create 6 Purple Gems, boosted by Gold stolen to a maximum of 16 Gems. that are not merely very expensive but often priceless: fine art, unique gems, historical artifacts. 6760 Snatch Wealth (12 Blue/Brown) Steal all Enemy Gold. There's something deeper than that at work though. The Phantom Thief is a special class of criminal. Since day one, they've had an absolutely platinum-plated structure, and the great thing about such a solid skeleton is it gives writers and directors a great platform to subvert and innovate while knowing that however far off base they go, it'll be there to keep things moving in the right direction. Since they grew out of film noir, heist movies have been one of film's most enduringly excellent genres. They go do the heist, unexpected bumps in the road threaten to knock everything off course, and we wait to see whether they get away with the loot. The mastermind emerges from the underground, schemes an entertainingly complex and clever scheme, finds his – almost always his – expert hired hands to carry out said entertainingly complex and clever scheme, lays it all out for them and for us. ![]()
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