Few names inspire as much praise and adulation as Alfred Hitchcock, but no director a thousand, and To Catch A Thief proves that. From what I’ve read, Hitch made the film because he fancied a holiday on the French Riviera. I’m fairly sure he had enough money at the time to holiday wherever and whenever he wanted, but I suppose he wanted to make good use of his time there. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly have all the charm in the world as you’d expect, and the landscape shots really draw attention to the beauty of the region, but it’s missing the very things that make Hitch’s film so compelling and memorable: Suspense and intrigue. It’s an incredibly talky film, but it doesn’t feel like its serving a purpose. Theres no building tension or creating an uneasy atmosphere, its just empty banter, and pretty soon I stopped caring about it. The actual plot is often forgotten to make room for meaningless conversation and scenes of people doing French Riviera tourist things. One standout scene is the drive up the hill away from the cops, which is done without music and gives us glimpses of Hitch’s natural ability to ring suspense out of a simple scene. Sadly, there no satisfying or surprising twists, and the film ends like the mystery at the heart of it means nothing whatsoever. You can’t say Hitch was over the hill at this point, because some of the best films he ever made were less than a decade away. To Catch A Thief feels like it was made by someone not fully committed to what they were doing, who had all the resources but little inclination to use them to their full advantage. As a result, it just turned out OK.

It dragged a little toward the end but certainly kept me guessing!

The Splendor of Grace Kelly

Hella settings and ‘tography!

Even though I guessed who the actual thief was, I still enjoyed the movie immensely. This was entertaining based on the acting alone. I guess as I age I am growing fonder of good clean acting.

1955! CLASSIC! They don't, & won't, make movies like this anymore. NO sex scenes. NO F-BOMBS! Wdn't be done today. And obvious why GRACE KELLY became a real queen. I can't believe I have never seen it, until on tv 7.15.24, PBS channel 28 sat Fri nite special.

While this doesn't reach the extraordinary heights of Hitchcock's masterpieces like STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and PSYCHO, I'm learning that second-tier Hitchcock is still better than the vast majority of movies out there! This is an extraordinarily entertaining caper film filled with game performances and some wonderful scenery of France. Truth be told, I was less interested in the titular catching of a thief and more enamored in the relationship between Grant and Kelly, who have a fantastic chemistry together. Watching them together is pure joy! I'm ashamed to admit that my knowledge of classic film needs improvement, but watching this makes me very anxious to check out more movies in both Grant's and Kelly's filmography. The rooftop climax is expertly directed, and this is an elegant, classy cat and mouse game.

It didn't drive me crazy with suspense and thrill, as you would expect of a Hitchcock movie, but it still catch my eye with some amazing dialogue, playfull romance with it's little twists and of course, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant's amazing acting.

Glamorous and fast-paced, Cary Grant could easily be mistaken for an early James Bond.

Classic Hitchcock film with Grace Kelly (in her final film with Hitch) in her finest ice queen role. Cary Grant plays John Robie, The Cat, a notorious burglar turned French Resistance hero once WWII broke out. Now retired and living in the French Riviera, he finds himself framed for a series of jewel robberies fitting his prior M.O. My only complaint about this film is that the mystery itself is not all that compelling, but the chemistry between the charming Grant and the icy Kelly is legendary! It's pretty typical of Hitchcock to let the story or plot take a backseat to set pieces and interesting scenes. Also, Grant and Kelly give audiences what is arguably the greatest onscreen kiss of all time, standing on a balcony at a lush Monaco hotel with fireworks exploding in the background. Grant and Ingrid Bergman are close runners-up in Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS, but my all-time favorite movie kiss goes to Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly in Hitchcocks's REAR WINDOW. Hitch knows kissing, but besides kissing, he delivers his usual memorable suspense set pieces and makes wonderful use of the Monaco locations. However, the most unsettling part of the film is when Kelly recklessly drives along a mountain road with Grant, which years later would be this same road the real-life Princess Grace would die in a fatal car crash. Overall, this is a suspense film classic and among Hitchcock's best, but not quite among his top-tier films (which would be NORTH BY NORTHWEST, PSYCHO, REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO, NOTORIOUS, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, and SHADOW OF A DOUBT).

What the film lacks in substance it more than makes up for in charm, colour and sumptuous locations beautifully captured by Burks' camera. Grant and Kelly are excellent, as is Landis as Kelly's boozy mother. Kelly looks radiant and is elegantly dressed in Edith Head's costumes. Hitchcock adds some neat touches through the shot set-up and keeps the tone humorous throughout, occasionally adding moments of tension – notably in the well-staged rooftop climax. The result is a winning movie that breezes along on the chemistry of its stars.

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are perfectly cast in To Catch a Thief from director icon Alfred Hitchcock that follows Grant's character John Robi, as he tries to track down a cat burglar, who everyone thinks is him. The film gleams 1950s charm and elegance with fantastic cinematography of the French Riviera landscape.

This is an entertaining watch, with different characters trying to second guess who the titular thief is. I enjoyed the setting, the glitzy French riviera and of course the cast includes two pretty big names - Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. Cary Grant comes across as quite suave and sophisticated as his character, John Robie. I thought this was a nice, fun watch, with inevitably a hint of nostalgia about it (it was released in 1955). There are the scenes with women fighting over the male lead character and I suppose it has a hint of a James Bond film about it - if any then I guess it'd have to be 'Casino Royale', although this is decidedly less an action/thriller film and more a somewhat light romantic drama, with some fairly witty pieces of dialogue at times. It is a little cliched and not, overall, greatly exciting as such (there are some fairly thrilling scenes but only now and again) but I enjoyed it for the most part (cliches and slowish plot pace aside) and I would recommend it to others regardless as a good(ish) watch, yes.

When I think Hitchcock, beautiful scenery and breathtaking cinematography are not the first things that come to mind, so it was a huge surprise that they were some of the strongest aspects of this film. Utilizing VistaVision the audience is treated to gorgeously sweeping shots of the Cote d'Azur as cars race along cliffsides, sets staged at breathtaking villas, and shots of a decadent period ball that present an eye poppingly pleasing color palette, dripping with texture. The script is solid as well, offering a well plotted mystery with stimulating dialogue that makes it easy to remain engaged and entertained. Grant and Kelly act as the cherry on top as their chemistry creates a magnetic quality in their characters that make them hard to look away from, especially when on screen together. 7.5/10 NYT 1000: #280

Cary Grant and Grace Kelly aren't the best actors of classic Hollywood so it's no wonder the film had no one to carry it. To Catch a Thief is dull and uninteresting despite its intriguing story of a jewel thief mystery and that's largely due to the mediocre performances and lack of action. The big reveal at the end was predictable which made the ending unsatisfactory.

Far from Hitchcock's Best work but a still thrilling crime mystery. Cary Grant and Grace Kelly as you would expect bounce off each other well with the witty romantic writing. Weirdly all of Bertani's lines are out of sync and seemingly ADR but it's so terribly done. I wouldn't mind knowing the limitations of the time but no other characters' lines are so terribly synced or said. Even with that it still a very fun watch.

Fun and entertaining. This Hitchcock movie is more lighthearted and more upbeat than his other works. The supposed plot twist is relatively predictable but the focus of this who done it movie is not the suspects but the chemistry between a dandy debonair Cary Grant and Grace Kelly with a bubbly personality and dewy charm.

Stupid fluff. Would be forgotten if not for the names attached to it.

Hitch combining his favourite leading man with his favourite leading lady for his best romance. Not one of Hitch's suspenseful thrill rides but Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are magnificent opposite each other. The chemistry is palpable and you can see why they were great friends. Grant's comic timing is first rate and the cinematography from Robert Burks is outstanding with the latter getting a deserved Oscar. Whilst it's not as nuanced or suspenseful like his best works it's still right up there for me and definitely underrated. Entertaining, funny, flows beautifully plus has the beautiful backdrop of the French Riviera. Will never tire of it.

Enjoyed this classic in Grace Kelly's last big film, she was paired with a guy more than twice her age in Carey Grant. Nothing to see here... that aside it's a cracking yarn, simple plot, predictable twist but a fun setup that doesn't really get boring.