"Hitchcock" Movie Review – The Story Behind Psycho

Rating: PG-13

Length: 98 minutes

Release Date: December 14, 2012

Director: Sacha Gervasi

Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins, "The Silence of the Lambs") recently released one of this biggest films of all time, but he isn't sure what to do next. After reading a review that claims he should retire, he decides to do something that his fans and those in Hollywood wouldn't expect. He turns down multiple films in the hopes of adapting the book "Psycho."

As the story has a major twist early on, he decides that he doesn't want viewers to know about the twist ahead of time. He buys every copy of the original book that he can find until the films lands in theaters. When the studio denies his request for money and help because it thinks the film will be a failure, he raises the money himself and uses his own film crew. The film then focuses on the making of "Psycho."

A review of "Hitchcock" is probably the last thing that people who check out this blog would expect to read, but the story involves one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Hopkins does an admirable job of playing the infamous director, though the makeup and expressions that he uses are sometimes distracting. The film also introduces some of the controversial elements of his career but shies away from explaining what actually happened.

A good example of this is the relationship between Hitchcock and Vera Miles (Jessica Biel, "The Texas Chainsaw Masacre"). Hitchcock viewed her as one of his top leading ladies and signed her to an exclusive contract, but when she decided to focus on raising a family, he made her live a living hell. The film will sometimes show the animosity between the two, but it never shows the actual hell that he put her through. It also doesn't spend much time on the relationship that he had with Janet Leigh. In real life, Leigh wasn't fond of Hitchcock because he pushed her too far on set, but in this film, she flirts with him and seems to enjoy being around him.

While "Hitchcock" had its moments, this is a film that I'll probably never watch again. There was a nice moment at the end with Hopkins and a raven where he mentions that being another story, but if "Hitchcock" is any indication, I think I'd skip another outing.