A mind-boggling suspense thriller with hints of mystery, comedy and romance all mixed in to give you one of the most exciting films featuring the Hollywood starlet Audrey Hepburn alongside old Hollywood's leading man, Cary Grant. Charade takes unexpected turns and keeps your mind on its toes while you're not able to turn your eyes away from the screen's leading duo and the events that unfold during their unfortunate predicament and developing relationship.
Regina "Reggie" Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) thought she knew everything about her husband, but when he is found dead and the police uncover his many secret identities, Regina is pushed to the brink of suspicion. She finds that everything in her apartment has been sold by her husband but cannot find the reason behind his motives. At the funeral of her husband, Reggie encounters three men who seem to all have a history with her husband and is frightened by their presence once she gets invited to the U.S. Embassy, where a man called Mr. Bartholomew (Walter Matthau) who works for the CIA, shows her a picture of the three rascals with her husband during WWII. She finds out that the four of them stole government money that they were supposed to deliver to the French Resistance, but instead buried it and got ambushed by the Germans. They had an extra accomplice Carson Dyle, who helped them execute this plan but he was shot by the Germans and left to die by the other four. Reggie's husband then double-crossed them all and dug up the money for himself and used it for his own benefit without his wife ever knowing of his past. In the midst of things she meets a man called Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) who offers to help her find the money her husband has stolen but the threesome are already ahead of them and start to stalk Reggie, every now and then menacing her to find the money for her own safety as well as Peter's. Things are not as they seem and Reggie has to be prepared for every instance of change in this game where bewilderment and surprises are not only inevitable but mandatory. Getting to the bottom of this will take risk and loss, but you'll never guess who the real culprit is by the end of it all.
Almost Hitchcock-ian in feel, from the gloomy sets to the frightening murder scenes, it's definitely one of the most memorable suspense thrillers from the old Hollywood classics. Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe is to die for and she is just as ravishing and intriguing as her signature character from Breakfast at Tiffany's with maybe a bit more intellect but with just as much charisma. Although in one of his last film roles, Cary Grant doesn't disappoint in the role of the suave male protagonist. Notable for his gentle nature towards his female co-stars, this role is no exception and he is the perfect leading man, displaying all the favorable qualities that women dream of. All the other actors left a strong impression on me by the way they played each character with such depth and distinctness. The characters weave a heavy web around the audience and it's not until the very end that you find out who each of them is. This is what makes this film a true classic and one that can be watched many times over especially with some accompanying humor on the side.
The theme of the movie would probably have to be one's identity -- hence the title -- and revenge. The character who turns out to be the main killer in the end has been bottling up all of his anger towards the others and has finally set off the catalyst which would bring all the others together so he could finish them off one by one. Cary Grant's character also doesn't turn out to be who he says he is, but then again, you can expect the unexpected from a movie with such a title. Audrey's character is the one caught in the middle of a crime which sets off a chain reaction that sends her head swerving and her instincts on the alert. Down the rabbit hole, her trust towards those around her is tested in the most relentless of ways and I think that all people are sometimes deceived by those surrounding them whether they are the ones who are closest to them or those who they work with, bankers, shop owners and even the people who represent themselves as the authority on our lives. We all wear masks to hide the hideous creatures we sometimes tend to be and the habits or the experiences that mark our lives forever. All humans have an intuition to display prudence in the eyes of those who we wish to impress or in some cases mislead, but sometimes we do it unknowingly without feeling we are at fault. We all make mistakes and some of those mistakes turn our lives around for better or worse and we need to be able to admit them to someone we truly trust and know inside-and-out while at the same time have an ability to forgive ourselves, learn from our mistakes and move on in life to reach the goals we have set forth from the beginning. Those mistakes can ultimately guide future generations to not make the same mistakes that you did and making the world a better place; all you have to do is look at the situation from all sides and from many different perspectives, and everything will be alright.
Pretty deep, huh? Well, I guess that would be all from me, so if you didn't see this movie yet, you have to go see it. It really is an engaging experience that will set your brain cells boiling to figure out who is who, while admiring the chemistry between the two main actors and the priceless dialogue in between. Also, take the time to admire the memorable opening titles. Mesmerizing.
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