Things start to unravel, however, when two detectives on his trail come into town, bringing to young Charlie to light what could be going down, or what might not be, or what is as clear as psychopathic day. The oldest daughter, also named Charlie (Teresa Wright), almost feels like a kindred spirit to her uncle, happy as can be that he's come to visit. The whole concept to the story is very appealing- a (painfully) normal suburban family gets a calling from a relative- Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten)- who wants to come by for a little while. True, it doesn't go for the immense macabre that lay in Psycho, The Birds, and Frenzy, but it is very effective in telling its stories, and giving us character to either love, or love to hate. In the end, however, it's just a nail-biting thriller that - now over sixty years old - still reigns as one of the absolute best of its genre.One thing that strikes many who come upon Shadow of a Doubt, one of this filmmaker's triumphs, is the knowledge that it was Hitchcock's favorite among his own films- and many watch it with very high expectations, getting shot down as well, making it one of his more under-rated efforts. It manages to focus on family ties and the struggles within the family itself while it also juggles the whole theme of an outcast family member. The entire film is taut and suspenseful, well-filmed and realistic. The ending of "Shadow of a Doubt" is classic Hitchcock and some of the best stuff he's done. She begins to become suspicious of her uncle as he becomes more suspicious of her own awareness. Charlie acts oddly and, at times, violent. His niece - who loves him and sees him as a sort of perfect role model - at first is excited that her Uncle Charlie is coming.but then things start to get strange. Left stranded and pursued, he decides to move in with his brother's family. Joseph Cotten plays Charlie, a crook on the run from the police. "Shadow of a Doubt" may only be listed as #181 on IMDb's "Top 250" list, but in my opinion it far outweighs some of the films higher up on that list and is one of Hitch's very best films.
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