I must admit that I was excited to see this film for two
reasons: one, I love Psycho, and two,
this cast is amazing! That being
said, a great cast can still be in a bad, bad movie (Green Lantern, I'm looking at you) if the writing and directing aren't
there to complete the necessary trifecta that truly makes any movie great. Sacha Gervasi, director of The Terminal and Anvil, and screen writer John McLaughlin, best known for Black Swan, nail it with Hitchock, their behind-the-scenes story
of the famed director, his loving wife, and the movie that no one wanted to
make.
Much
like the director of which the movie is named after, I don't want to give away
too many spoilers. That being
said, I will reveal that Hitchcock
opens with the Ed Gein's murders, which inspired the book by which Psycho was based, and it starts off much
like the old Alfred Hitchcock television show that can be seen through reruns
on Nick at Nite.
I
have not seen many of Sacha Gervasi's movies but can say confidently that he
has an extraordinary eye for detail.
Sometimes it is the little things that make the difference. The writing from John J. McLaughlin was
good and quick, which it had to be so that the moments where Gervasi kept the
camera on Hitchcock for a second or two longer didn't slow down the pace.
In
terms of the acting, both Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren superbly recreated
their characters for the big screen.
After my initial viewing I went back and looked at a few old clips of
the actual Hitchcock to compare him next to Hopkins' portrayal and the
similarities are uncanny. Dame
Mirren's performance as Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville was outstanding as she
tackled the hardship of being involved with someone so immersed with his work.
But
it doesn't stop there as the casting director pulled some strings and got a
great group of supporting players.
There were a lot of really good actors in parts so small that they are
barely on screen for more than a few minutes and others that were so good that
I didn't even recognize them. Toni
Collette and Michael Wincott were so in to their role and in such good make-up
that I didn't even recognize them until I got to the credits. Ralph Macchio was
on screen for maybe three minutes and yet he was able to make his role both
vital and convincing. Jessica
Biel has always been a hit or miss, usually depending on the role, and she is
an absolute hit as Vera Miles, a young star who has a strained history with the
famed director. I thought she took
the small role and made it her own, which is an impressive feat when surrounded
by so much talent.
The
only two "negatives" that I can muster up refer to Scarlett Johansson and Danny
Huston, who play Janet Leigh and Whitield Cook respectively. It's not that the acting was bad, because
it wasn't for either star. It more
or less comes down to their ability to portray a real life character. It was just hard to buy either of them,
especially in terms of Johansson's turn as Psycho
star Janet Leigh. And it
wouldn't have been quite so obvious, but when you have Toni Collette and James
D'Arcy going unnoticed for much of the film, the immediate awareness of these
two sticks out like a sore thumb.
