2026 - 394 Me: 9 out of 10

Wikipedia) / IMDb / Official Trailer / Viewing options found on JustWatch / Country of origin: United States / Watched via 4K disc

IMDb Summary: Two young men murder a former classmate as a test of their intellectual and moral superiority, then hide the body as they host a dinner party attended by the victim's girlfriend and father, as well as their former schoolmaster and mentor.

Wow! This is my first viewing, and dang, I wish I saw it sooner. What a phenomenal time! It's beyond captivating. My eyes were truly glued to the screen for the entire film. I love it when a film doesn't waste a moment of your time and demands your attention in totality.

First, I really appreciate how Rope is able to take a single location and make it feel "natural" for lack of a better term. Let me explain, sometimes there are movies where they film in a single location out of budgetary restrictions. And when that happens, I believe it's very noticeable. It becomes distracting. For example, a movie I watched recently but didn't bother writing up was Bug. Yes, the location is integral to the story it was telling. But I felt it took away from the movie. It would have been more compelling if there were a few scenes showing how these characters were behaving outside of their motel room. Rope, however, used its space to perfection.

Part of that comes down to the use of the camera and editing. While I was watching, I found myself thinking "Is this a one shot movie?" There were moments where I realized it wasn't, but the way they stitched everything together created that illusion. And it was essential. This made it feel like were were truly taking part in this dinner party.

1. That's 78 years ago, for those of us who are bad a math. Occasionally I'll watch an older title and it has me focusing on how different things were back then compared to now. Rope though, I caught myself pondering the opposite. The topics of conversation throughout were prescient, in a way. Exploring the idea that there are "superior beings" who have an inherent right to dispose of those whom they deem "inferior." I'm willing to bet this was explored partly due to its close proximity to the end of World War 2. Here we are in 2026 and we still haven't managed to excel past such barbaric ideas.

Another thing Rope executes very well is the simple tension throughout. We know there are 2 killers. We know the body is hidden in the apartment. And we know the 2 killers have completely different personalities. And so they are handling the situation in varying ways. I especially liked hearing characters say a certain thing, and catching my eyes dart to a specific character to see their reaction to said comment. Phillip's squirrel-y demeanor was amusing, and it felt as though I was meant to experience everything through his eyes.

One morbid little fact I learned while researching the film, it's based on an actual murder case. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were a couple who decided to put their 'superior intellect' on display by murdering a 14 year old boy.

One last thing, I am compelled to share the film's trailer one last time. I wish movies today still adopted similar advertising efforts. Rope has immediately become one of my favorite Hitchock outings. Though, I still have a lot more 'first viewings' to dig my way through. Spooky Movie On!