To Catch a Thief

There are few films quite as luxurious as Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 classic romantic thriller, To Catch a Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly as they enjoy the sights and sounds of Monaco. This released during what I consider to be the director's best decade as he had made Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder and Rear Window with Vertigo and North by Northwest still to come but is this film a case of style over substance or is it on part with Hitchcock's other greats of the 1950s?

Cary Grant stars as a retired cat burglar and veteran of the French resistance who now enjoys the quiet life on the French Riviera having paid for his sins but this peace is shattered when a new thief starts to plague the residents of Monaco. The police begin suspect him and so he sets about imposing himself as the thief in order to locate the real 'cat' while becoming friendly with the country's most wealthy guests, including Grace Kelly and her mother, played by Jessie Royce Landis. 

Hitchcock treats To Catch a Thief as a light-hearted romantic drama which gives the floor to his two leads who boast terrific chemistry together despite the notable age gap. There are also plenty of witty comedic moments and coupled with the gorgeous back-drop, this is surely one of the director's best looking films to date. It is also one of the first to place a camera on a helicopter during one of the early car chase sequences which, while a little dated with how it is sped-up, is still charming to watch. There is also thankfully a lot of filming achieved on location to help bring the audience to this glamourous period when the director would have usually preferred to film with the often disappointing rear-projection techniques. 

Yet for all of its visual splendour and the fine performances from both leads, To Catch a Thief rarely has that moment of tension Hitchcock's films are known for and the resolution at the end is hastily rushed to the point it was easy to miss who was even responsible and why. The real appeal of this film is to see Cary Grant and Grace Kelly at the peak of their careers interacting together, and the rest of the story comes secondary which won't make it all that exciting for everyone. 

To Catch a Thief is certainly easy on the eye and fun to watch as it offers a window to a different period in time but lacks the substance of say something like Rear Window to really keep me engaged with the story. If you like the leads and the director then there will be plenty to enjoy but I wouldn't say this is the best film to start with if you are new to Hitchcock despite its sunny presentation.