This is a diabolically clever and loving tribute to the Master of Suspense during the making of his groundbreaking masterpiece Psycho.

While this film does focus on the making of Psycho, it also spends a lot of time looking at some of Hitch's obsessions, quirks, the trials and tribulations he had to go through to get the movie made, and more importantly, his relationship to his wife Alma, who played a far greater role in his life than some people may realize. The film also once in a while cuts to flashes of Ed Gein, sometimes interacting with Hitch (usually in a dream) to show the influence of him on Psycho, as well as to highlight some of Hitch's thoughts and fears. There's also some playful breaking of the 4th wall as well.

The film isn't a complete or totally balanced portrayal of this wonderful director, but it nevertheless is quite satisfying. I think this film could have broad appeal, but is more rewarding if you're already familiar with Psycho, and Hitch himself.

I loved seeing the recreations of the making of Psycho, as well as the crap Hitch had to go through with various execs to get his way. As fun as this is though, the heart of the film is the relationship between Hitch and Alma. You can tell they loved one another, and sometimes have a symbiotic connection, but still squabble and butt heads, mostly due to Hitch's often stubborn nature.

I was leery when I first saw footage of Anthony Hopkins as Hitch, but he grew on me, and does a great job. Helen Mirren is absolutely fantastic as Alma, and might be the best part of this project. Scarlett Johansson in decent as Janet Leigh, Toni Collette is a delight as Hitch's secretary Peggy, and Jessica Biel is surprisingly solid, though underused as Vera Miles. As Ed Gein, Michael Wincott is creepily effective, and perfectly cast. Other notable names here include Ralph Macchio as Psycho's screenwriter, Michael Stuhlbarg as Lew Wasserman, and Kurtwood Smith as the head of the ratings board who was really critical of Psycho's subject matter.

This is a strong, and loving director tribute, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of something like Tim Burton's Ed Wood. I loved the little touches, especially the music, and the little quirky things (like using Gein). You can tell that Sacha Gervasi cares about the subject, and really wanted to do justice to the subject.

I'd say he was pretty successful. The film is a tad unbalanced and limited, but in the end is a splendid and highly enjoyable piece of work, especially if you dig on Hitch and films about filmmaking.