Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Spiritualist Blanche Tyler and her cab-driving boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.
Hitchcock's final film is a pleasantly entertaining caper-comedy-thriller hybrid that blends two converging storylines with his characteristic wit and suspense. The plot mechanics are clever without being among his sharpest, and the dual-narrative structure keeps things lively even if the stakes feel modest. The cast—Bruce Dern, Karen Black, Barbara Harris—are solid and engaging without reaching the iconic heights of his classic collaborations. Cinematographically competent and workmanlike rather than visually inventive. As Hitchcock's swan song, it carries curiosity value and reflects his reliable craftsmanship, but it's a late-career minor work rather than a landmark. The ending is cheeky and self-aware in a satisfying way. Overall a comfortable mid-tier Hitchcock—enjoyable but not distinctive enough in any single dimension to merit exceptional marks.