Hitchcock Thriller Tops AFI Mystery List

If the American Film Institute hadn't named Vertigo as the top mystery film of all time during last Tuesday's CBS television presentation, I would have been forced to make a citizen's arrest.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this haunting thriller boasts an absolutely perfect performance by Jimmy Stewart as a detective with a fear of heights who falls under the spell of the woman he's been hired to follow. And Kim Novak is at her best playing the gorgeous lady responsible for Stewart's overpowering obsession.

As in all of Hitchcock's movies, Vertigo boasts exquisite suspense, but this time it's coupled with Stewart's best-ever acting, which teaches us an unforgettable lesson about the dangerous implications of obsessive behavior.

It's interesting to note that three other Hitchcock films also made it to the AFI Top Ten list of movie mysteries: North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Dial M for Murder.

Here's a BIG shout out to the master of movie mysteries, Alfred Hitchcock!