Film Review: Hitchcock

Hitchcock. Rated M (mature themes). 99 minutes. Directed by Sacha Gervasi. Screenplay by John J. McLaughlin. Based on the book by Stephen Rebello.

Verdict: The perfectly-matched star power of Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren (pictured) brings Hitchcock home in style.

Inspired by the heinous crimes of Ed Gein, Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel Psycho would become one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most memorable films. Courtesy of the famous ‘shower scene’, Psycho (1960) would not only become one of the most instantly recognisable films in cinema history, it would also set a revolutionary benchmark for films of the horror genre.

Basking in the success of his North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) is carefully considering his next project. While his devoted wife and co-conspirator Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) suggests he consider a script from an admirer Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston), Hitchcock instead decides that his next project will be Psycho. Demanding that his loyal production assistant Peggy Robertson (Toni Collette) buy every copy of the book so the plot will remain a secret, Hitchcock begins a project that will challenge not only his own self-belief, but also the loyalties of those that are closest and most important to him.

In an outstanding feature film debut, Gervasi wisely surrounds himself with an exceptional cast and crew who deliver McLaughlin’s (Black Swan) meticulously-observed screenplay to the screen with immense skill. Hopkins and Mirren are superb, and the greatest pleasure of this film is the opportunity to watch these two fine actors matching wits, blow for blow, on the big screen. Collette excels as the dutiful Peggy, ensuring that Ms Robertson (like Alma) is seen to have been worth considerably more to the cantankerous Hitchcock than history might otherwise have afforded her.

Stylistically, the film is a triumph, with Production Designer Judy Becker (Silver Linings Playbook, Ruby Sparks, The Fighter, Brokeback Mountain) perfectly capturing the very essence of the era, superbly photographed by Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth (Fight Club, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

While it doesn’t pretend to be the definitive biopic of the infamous Alfred Hitchcock, Hitchcock is certainly a candid, no-holds-barred excursion into a compelling chapter in the life of one the most important and independently-minded directors in the history of cinema.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.