Two weeks ago, I was watching the news and was shocked to hear about a murder case out of Oklahoma.  It was utterly disturbing.  Three teenage boys shot a complete stranger in the back, not because of a robbery out of spite or some invidious feud.  There was no motive at all.  The boys were bored; and that is why they killed.

After hearing this horrible story, I couldn’t help but think of Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, “Rope.”  The plot is hauntingly similar.  Two recent Harvard graduates scheme to create the perfect murder, purely for experimentation.  The cunning and manipulative, Brandon insists that “murder should be an art,” which comes as a disturbing revelation to his culpable and mortified partner in crime, Phillip.  They prey on one of their friends, David, who is ignorant to their morbid plans.  The film begins with David’s murder, and the quick decision by Brandon to put his body in the sideboard.  Adding to their saturnine scheme, they proceed to serve hor dourves off of this infamous sideboard for a dinner party they are holding on the eve of the murder for David’s closest friends.  As the party evolves, Phillip’s peace of mind unravels, especially upon the arrival of David’s insightful and suspicious former teacher, Rupert Cadell, played by the masterful James Stewart.

The party continues to conspire about the concepts of reason, privilege and the role of right and wrong.  As Brandon toys with the emotions of David’s friends in order to prove the infallibility of their crime, Phillip anxiously searches for a way to come clean about the act he now regrets.  While the two conspirators struggle with their psyches, Rupert sets out to decipher the murder he knows nothing about.

If you’re looking for a classic thriller, this is a truly great film.  You can find it on Amazon and Netflix!