Saturday night at the movies

Sabotage

(1936)

Wow! Hitch declares his independence from movie conventions governing the treatment of cute kids and puppy dogs, as well as the notion that heroes and heroines must always respect the law. Based on Joseph Conrad's novel The Secret Agent, this is a film I'd read a good deal about, but I'm guessing it's the best Hitchcock film I entered 2009 still never having seen. Justly famous for the brilliantly suspenseful ticking-time-bomb sequence--which, astonishingly, does not provide the climactic moment. I've seen enough now (two films) of the Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection to confirm that it's worth the list price of $119.98, never mind the fifty-some bucks you'll pay at Amazon if you're patient.