Hitchcock's final film, made 4 years before his death, is a macabre comedy full of fun twists and turns. It follows a mystery to find a missing heir to a fortune and interests the lives of some unscrupulous individuals. While fun and dark it is not in the league of his best films but it shows he was still up for making wickedly clever films even near the end.
The real strength of Family Plot is is handling of the dark humour. The film has a very macabre sensibility and often you might feel guilty laughing. But the film is quite funny, not in a joke sort of way but in a situational manner. This keeps its twisty plot on track as it may have been hard to take without that relief. There is an excellent sequence when the brakes don't work on a car that is played very effectively both for laughs while also keeping us entirely on the edges of our seats. The tension is handled expertly while also inspiring som very funny moments.
Movies about con artists are often fun and following their machinations can be a hoot. Hitchcock captures this spirit well. The cast is up for the fun too. Bruce Dern the most famous today of the group has the same energy he brings to his more recent roles.
While we may want to see great artists end their careers on a triumph, that's often not the way these careers work out. But while Family Plot may not live up to the Psychos or Rear Windows of his past it remains a very watchable and enjoyable farewell from one of the 20th century's masters.
Family Plot
Starring: Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris, Willam Devane, Karen Black
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Ernest Lehman
No comments:
Post a Comment