Having read some less-than-brilliant reviews about 'Number Seventeen,' an early work of Hitchcock, I was a bit tentative about how good it would actually be. However, by the end of the film, I was pleasantly surprised!
The film starts very slowly, and Hitchcock takes time to develop the characters and the setting, and to begin building the suspense. His use of shadows to heighten the emotional suspense is effective, and, though the plot is at-first very ambiguous, this serves only to keep the viewer even further intrigued.
Nothing is what it seems. There were countless twists and revelations in this film that I certainly didn't see coming, and the climactic train chase at the end of the film was absolutely superb. The use of miniature models to simulate much of the action was done well, and not at the expense of the developed suspense. This is definitely a Hitchcock film, and it predicts great things to come for this legendary director!
The film starts very slowly, and Hitchcock takes time to develop the characters and the setting, and to begin building the suspense. His use of shadows to heighten the emotional suspense is effective, and, though the plot is at-first very ambiguous, this serves only to keep the viewer even further intrigued.
Nothing is what it seems. There were countless twists and revelations in this film that I certainly didn't see coming, and the climactic train chase at the end of the film was absolutely superb. The use of miniature models to simulate much of the action was done well, and not at the expense of the developed suspense. This is definitely a Hitchcock film, and it predicts great things to come for this legendary director!