Regarded as a classic by most people simply because it is Alfred Hitchcock's first suspense film. Unfortunately, The Lodger is almost completely bereft of the fine craftsmanship that would come to be Hitchcock's calling card in his later films. Inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders, the story centers on a family who takes in a mysterious young man amidst a series of killings going on in the city. Unengaging and slow moving, the film drags on as the family begins to suspect the young man of being the killer. Their suspense builds, but ours does not. The film picks up nicely in the last twenty minutes with a couple of plot twists and a jealous boyfriend / detective, but it's not quite enough to save the film. There are also a couple of examples of artistic cinematography and symbolic imagery, but it never really pays off. Hitchcock's best work was still well ahead of him.
