I should preface this by saying that the title is pretty much clickbait and although I don’t feel particularly fond of the film, I’m completely aware that my analysis may be misguided.

I also think part of my sentiment is that the film is heralded as one of the greatest films of all time, so I had really high expectations. Even against other great 50s films such as 12 Angry Men or Singing in the Rain, I feel North by Northwest is lacking in many areas. In short, it didn’t live up to my expectations, so I was immensely disappointed (and I don’t think it came close to the greatness of 12 Angry Men).

I’ll briefly highlight my main concerns.

1. The plot is uninspired.

Notice I didn’t say the plot is cliche. Certainly being cliche is part of being uninspired, but being uninspired is more than just cliche. Note that I also am not merely reflecting the fact that the film is meant to be “fun” and “light-hearted”, but rather that the content of the plot is so uninteresting that it reduces the “fun” component of the film. Perhaps another way to put it is that the plot is pretty thin and artificial.

2. The acting is uninspired.

By this I mean that the acting is largely unconvincing. Many lines seem platitudinous and forced. The viewer is often reminded that what they’re viewing is merely a portrayal rather than an occurrence. Just take the scene of Lester Townsend’s murder. As soon as the knife plunges into Lester’s back, Roger Thornhill’s hand is there to grab it. The scene couldn’t be made more unnatural or awkward. It was so poorly acted, and it was immediately obvious Roger “needed” to grab the knife for the continuation of the artificial plot.

3. The ending is uninspired.

This perhaps goes without explanation. It feels almost like the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the filmmakers just ran out of budget and had to suddenly terminate the film. Only in North by Northwest it’s less funny and more weird. I will grant that the last innuendo of the train going into the tunnel was amusing, but apart from that I believe the transition could have been made much better even if it was meant to occur so quickly.

4. Eve Kendall is uninspired.

I’m convinced that there doesn’t exist any semi-competent human being who’s as helpless as Eve. She’s the only major female character and she pretty much exists solely for the sake of seducing Roger. She cries when she’s separated from Roger, but doesn’t have the willpower to do anything about it (nor does she recognize, or at least do anything about, the fact that she’s being completely used by the FBI for what seems like nonexistent compensation). When a gun is fired in the room next to hers she doesn’t think twice about it. I could go on, but I think the point is clear.

5. The film is uninspired.

The points 1-4 help lead me to this conclusion. I grant that they may not be sufficient, and it is completely fair to quip that my analysis is grossly inadequate, but I leave it as is. I also assume that an uninspired film is a terrible one. One can earnestly dispute this point, but for the sake of space I’ll omit a justification.This post is already too long.