Rear Window [1954]
I've been trying to brush up on my Hitchcock lately, and this here is another classic from the master.
First off, Hitchcock really shows his genius as director in how the film is presented. Almost solely from the view of a wheelchair bound Jimmy Stewart, we watch the lives of the various characters unfold before his eyes.
Hitch plays with morality here, which I think was another high point of the film. Stewart's speech about ethics really emphasizes this point.
The acting is great, but with star power like this, that goes without saying. Grace Kelly is simply stunning, Stewart plays the everyman to perfection, Thelma Ritter is great comic relief, and the various residents of the apartments were great as well.
The plot is pretty straight-forward, but very well-written nonetheless. Great tension, lots of laughs, a cool ending...awesome. It did go on more than necessary in some places, but nothing major.
Put simply this is a great film, I really enjoyed it.
8/10