Shadow of a Doubt

This could have been one of the best Hitchcock suspense films if wasnt for one of the worst last acts I have seen in a Hitchcock film.

But this is still worth seeing. The performances of the main cast are great as Hitchcock fuses his trademark charm, suspense and mystery into the eclectic characters of the family. The last act fails because for some terrible reason, a plot event occurs off-screen that suddenly turns the film into a mediocre thriller that is thrill-less and absurd with the sudden emergence of one of the worst romances I've seen.

Hitchcock's direction is wonderfully vintage though, he brings out the charm, innocence, and cynicism out of his main and supporting actors, spicing things up with a lot of humour. There is also great comic relief from 2 work colleagues, lovers of detective stories, who are always trying to outwit each other by committing the best theoretical murder on each other.

Its just a shame about the script's final act which I obviously cant say much about.

Still, despite this, the rest of the movie is real joy to watch and recommend this for rental

Perfectly fantastic thriller, only the best ones take you from absolute certainty to a niggling doubt, maybe it wasn't him, and back to certainty with devilish consequences for the girl who rumbles him. Very satisfying.

By the third year of his Hollywood career Hitchcock was well into his stride and this is arguably one of his best films of the 1940’s. There is not really a weakness in the movie, although I suppose you could say that Teresa Wright’s romantic detective is a tad wet. Not to worry, the examination of small town California life is masterly, no doubt much helped by dialogue from playwright Thornton Wilder. I can think of no other Hollywood film that gives such a rounded portrait of an American family (set in their historical context) in a storyline that is both fascinating and disturbing. Recommended.

One of Hitchcock's best suspense films.

Spellbinding to the very end!

A very watchable and enjoyable film, but rather a period piece, with social attitudes that seem quite quaint today. It lacks the sense of suspense i associate with Hitchcock but is neverthless worth watching.