Grade: B+
Synopsis: A young woman (Teresa Wright) begins to suspect that her visiting uncle (Joseph Cotton) may be a serial killer.
Shadow of a Doubt is a wonderful thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock that gets better with each repeat viewing.
Joseph Cotton is spot-on from the opening frames, as the suave but menacing Uncle Charlie. Not only is he believable, he’s riveting to watch, as he repeatedly lulls you into a sense of security only to shatter it with an errant glance or word. His performance has become the model for every wolf in sheep’s clothing since.
Opposite Cotton, Teresa Wright gets off to a bumpy start, but soon rights herself and delivers a solid performance, though she’s upstaged by the wonderful supporting cast. The running gag between Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn’s characters about how they could off each other without being caught adds a delicious element of black comedy while also providing the perfect counterpoint to the story’s subtle theme of things not being what they seem.
Granted, the film’s not perfect. The ending is a bit ludicrous, and while it’s less of a problem on repeat viewings, the film does run slow, but neither of these blemishes detracts too much from what’s otherwise a near-perfect picture.
Bottom Line: Director Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt is an excellent thriller highlighted by a classic performance from Joseph Cotton.
