Köysi

A shining proof of what a great and unparalleled craftsman Hitch was in his time. Who else could have made such a formal impression in the space of a single medium-sized flat in 1948? Not only the original work with editing, when a scene is momentarily interrupted by a camera run directly into the tuxedo of one of the characters, after which everything continues seemingly without interruption, but also the level of lighting and colour with a bit of exaggeration are breathtaking. The script may not be quite as tight as in Dial M for Murder, and the characters certainly could (and should) have behaved better, but with 80 minutes of precise direction and Stewart's excellent performance, that doesn't have the slightest possibility to significantly spoil it. Hats off... 85% (08.07.2014)

I was expecting an experiment, not a movie. Something where the director draws all the attention to himself. I mean the kind of movie where the “how it’s done" is more engaging than the picture itself. Well, this is exactly the opposite. Brilliant ambiguous dialogs dominate the scenes, set the tempo and entertain the whole way through. Stewart is unbelievably perfect in this cynically sarcastic role. Maybe I’m alone in this, but to me it’s the best Hitchcock movie. Maybe because, thanks to the absence of his typical stylization, it’s not really a Hitchcock movie after all. (03.01.2009)

A brilliantly directed film treat that could have benefitted from a bit more sophistication and a more polished screenplay. That said, the director and actors deserve medals. (29.11.2004)

This initially playful formal plaything is surprisingly trumped by the plot, which is packed to the brim with cynical dialogue that hasn't lost a shred of its attraction. Hitchcock also lets it build up to incredibly unpredictable turns through the actors, so it holds the tension without losing its pizzazz and filmmaking ease. An incredibly clever film. (30.05.2009)

I think Hitchcock was just a regular film fan, and even though he denied so many times his interest in stars and working with them, his collection of films with Jimmy Stewart, for example, says it all. This is the sheer love of a European filmmaker being able to direct an All-American Star (and in glorious Technicolor colors to boot!), nothing more, nothing less. Feel free to look for those formal experiments, count the reels and pretend that the view is not naively painted and studio-like. The dialogues are quite cute, but it's hard to judge how it was really with Hamilton's play (for example, the homosexuality of the two murderers). (20.01.2019)