North by Northwest

Play trailer

2:02

North by Northwest

1959

2h 16m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

119 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. Soon Vandamm's henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

08/29/2022

The plotting is tightly wound and the thrills are executed with devilish panache.

Go to Full Review

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

07/06/2022

Though not as cleverly original as Strangers on a Train, or as cleverly sexy as Notorious, this is one of Hitchcock’s most entertaining American thrillers.

Go to Full Review

Barbara L. Wilson

Philadelphia Inquirer

06/09/2021

Alfred Hitchcock's new thriller, North by Northwest, is one of those no holds barred films. For better than two hours, he lets the Technicolor melodrama ramble across the VistaVision screen while gleefully setting traps for his hero.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

07/23/2025

5/5

Made just a year after "Vertigo" and a year before "Psycho," it's a breezy and dashing thriller with very little of the typecast weird and grotesque symbolism that sometimes alienates Hitchcock films from centrist audiences.

Go to Full Review

Chris Barsanti

PopMatters

01/08/2025

The last time Alfred Hitchcock delivered a big success of a film with stars on the marquee and an A-lister behind the typewriter.

Go to Full Review

Harry Solomons

Loud and Clear Reviews

01/08/2025

4.5/5

One of Hitchcock’s crowning achievements, North By Northwest remains as fun as ever and serves as the finest example of a genre it helped to create.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

JW

Mar 18

loved seeing the classics in theaters again

See more

John B

02/28/2025

Amazing to see on the big screen!

See more

Jo Ann S

12/11/2024

One of Hitchcock's best!! Great story, suspense, drama, romance!

See more

Joan

09/22/2024

Classic Hitchcock and Cary Grant! Suspenseful and we'll written and directed! Not to be missed on the big screen!

See more

Marco A

05/23/2021

My favorite Hitchcock movie and one of my all time favorites overall. Just pure fun and enjoyment, perfect balance of thrills/adventure/comedy/romance with great dialogues. A film that had the style of Bond before Bond, but that would have been one of the top Bond films all time as well.

See more

Thurman I

@TripIII Jun 28

It’ s not just the take of an “Everyman” but also the take of who every man wants to be…. Swaddled in the comfort of late ‘50’s upper middle class and New York urbanity,.. stripped to the bare essentials of self survival… this the best action - suspense movie of them all…

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Cary Grant

Roger O. Thornhill

Eva Marie Saint

Eve Kendall

James Mason

Phillip Vandamm

Leo G. Carroll

The Professor

Martin Landau

Leonard

Gaslight

94%

90%

Gaslight

Watchlist

Telefon

44%

48%

Telefon

Watchlist

Vertigo

94%

92%

Vertigo

Watchlist

The Bat

17%

47%

The Bat

Watchlist

Tiger Bay

78%

84%

Tiger Bay

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

North by Northwest: Trailer 1

2:02

North by Northwest (1959) Presented by TCM: Fathom Events Trailer

0:30

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. Soon Vandamm's henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Ernest Lehman
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 17, 1959, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 19, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2009
Runtime: 2h 16m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)