RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / North by Northwest
North by Northwest

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

North by Northwest (1959)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
100 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:56

Fresh:56

Rotten:0

Average Rating:9/10

Consensus: Gripping, suspenseful, and visually iconic, this late-period Hitchcock classic laid the groundwork for countless action thrillers to follow.

Runtime: 4 hrs 32 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: NORTH BY NORTHWEST is a suspense thriller that finds Cary Grant in the role of Roger Thornhill, a Manhattan advertising executive mistaken for a spy. Considered by many to be the prototypical pure... NORTH BY NORTHWEST is a suspense thriller that finds Cary Grant in the role of Roger Thornhill, a Manhattan advertising executive mistaken for a spy. Considered by many to be the prototypical pure action movie (creating the template for later James Bond and Indiana Jones films), the film is a cross-country roller-coaster ride with Alfred Hitchcock at the helm. The film is duly famous for several classic and indelible scenes, including the desert biplane encounter and the Mt. Rushmore climax. The original title was THE MAN IN LINCOLN'S NOSE, which was replaced by a reference to a line from William Shakespeare's HAMLET (in which Hamlet says, "I am but mad north-north-west."). The magical combination of Hitchcock and the debonair Grant--who made four wonderful films together--makes NORTH BY NORTHWEST a suspense-filled standout. When Thornhill finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, the world as he knows it comes to an end. Suddenly danger threatens as the hapless businessman is targeted as an American intelligence agent and set up as a killer. All of Thornhill's attempts to straighten things out only make matters worse--and soon the desperate man is on the run from murderous foreign operatives, the CIA, and the police. The supporting cast, including Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, and Martin Landau, is uniformly excellent. [More]

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll, Jessie Royce Landis, Philip Ober, Josephine Hutchinson, Martin Landau

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Ernest Lehman
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Composer: Bernard Herrmann

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Aug 29, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for North by Northwest

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The picture is hugely pleased with itself, but it's too funny and expertly calibrated to mind in the least.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
11/08/09
Bill Weber
Bill Weber
Slant Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
08/19/09
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

One of Hitchcock's most enjoyable and entertaining films is also one of his most quintessential works, dealing with thematic and visual ideas well ahead of their time, as for example the notion of fluid identity.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/23/09
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Hitchcock breezes through a tongue-in-cheek, nightmarish plot with a lightness of touch that’s equalled by a charming performance from Grant.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/19/09
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out

North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock’s very own adrenalin-fuelled action blockbuster.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
06/19/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]

The romcom suspense caper is a cinematic recipe that Alfred Hitchcock took with him to his grave; certainly I can't imagine anyone now succeeding in blending thrills, spills, caresses and laughs the way he did in this sublime classic from 1959.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
06/19/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

Hitchcock succeeded in wanting to give popcorn munchers a movie to smile at. And he was never this playful again.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
06/19/09
Rob Daniel
Rob Daniel
Sky Movies

North By Northwest is the quintessential Hitchcock thriller and one of the most exciting movies of all time. So there.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
06/19/09
Total Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Welcome and much needed proof that great action movies don't have to be meaningless and moronic.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
06/19/09
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Cary Grant's suave adman Roger O Thornhill finds himself in mortal peril as the innocent man-on-the-run, yet the tone throughout is buoyantly, almost insolently, comic.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
06/19/09
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

The velvety villainy of James Mason, the crop duster chase and the thrilling finale scrambling around Mount Rushmore are just part of the pleasure in a classic that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
06/19/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

See it again and you'll come away marvelling.

Full Review Source: Sunday Mail [UK] | comment Comment
06/19/09
Sunday Mail [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Smoothly troweled and thoroughly entertaining.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
04/23/09
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Not Hitchcock's most profound work, but a tightly conceived, expertly executed thriller from the master of suspense.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/27/09
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Certifiable classic territory, Hitchcock's glossiest entertainment is the closest the trickster ever came to an action movie.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/27/09
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine

The great suspense director was at his most entertaining, creating a helter skelter action film where the hero is propelled from one breathless situation to the next.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/27/09
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A great film, and certainly one of the most entertaining movies ever made, directed by Alfred Hitchcock at his peak.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/27/09
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

At times it seems Hitchcock is kidding his own penchant for the bizarre, but this sardonic attitude is so deftly handled it only enhances the thrills.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rich imagery, with many links to Vertigo.

Full Review Source: Classic Film and Television | comment Comment
08/22/06
Michael E. Grost
Michael E. Grost
Classic Film and Television

All in all, an improbable classic.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for North by Northwest

March 17, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Greg Kinnear
How do you describe the career of a guy who started as the host of Talk Soup on E! and within five years was Oscar nominated for a role opposite Jack Nicholson? Greg Kinnear is... More...

June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...

August 29, 2006: Ashton Kutcher to Play an American Terrorist in Tokyo
Looks like Ashton Kutcher's using his own production shingle to set up some mildly interesting projects. The next one will be a romantic comedy about a florist, but after that... More...

July 06, 2005: Legendary Screenwriter Ernest Lehman Passes Away
Veteran screenwriter / producer Ernest Lehman passed away on July 2nd after a lengthy illness. Mr. Lehman was nominated for a half-dozen Oscars over the course of his... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196

What’s Hot On RT

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

Jason Reitman

Jason Reitman

The Up in the Air director's Five Faves

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

See what her 10 best reviewed films are!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
6
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
65
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
42
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
42
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
39
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
35
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
35
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
21
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
16
  • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
10
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
1
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • North by Northwest at Rotten Tomatoes
  • North by Northwest at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
History of Disney Animation
History of Disney Animation External Link

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

90 Years of Screen Vampires
90 Years of Screen Vampires External Link

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones External Link

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

Recent Headlines as TV Movies
Recent Headlines as TV Movies External Link

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

The Death of Original Thought
The Death of Original Thought External Link

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.