A model for breezy, bantering filmmaking of the criminal kind, To Catch a Thief has the feel of being made while on a getaway vacation. Here the destination is the French Riviera, where a retired cat burglar (Cary Grant) has curled into a cozy existence. His life of illicitly gained leisure is disrupted, however, when a jewelry thief begins hitting the ritzy beach hotels. Determined to prove his innocence, Grant’s former burglar sets out to catch the criminal himself. Along the way he meets an American heiress (Grace Kelly) who may either be cat or bird but is certainly the life force of the film. Grant’s charm can feel automatic at times – you get the feeling he would remain “on” whether talking to a starlet or someone’s dog – yet Kelly has a brazen unpredictability that keeps him, and us, on our toes. (Casually announcing “I don’t like cold things touching my skin” will do that.) Director Alfred Hitchcock wisely gets out of his actors’ way during their scenes together, letting their star wattage and the double-entendre dialogue do all the work. Thief is easily one of the master of suspense’s lightest films, as evidenced by his signature cameo appearance, in which he shares the back seat of a bus with Grant and a bird in a cage. It’s a playful shot for a playful film – a Hitchcock lark, not a masterpiece.
