Charade

Thrillers like Charade lean heavily on character and directorial flair to make them work, and seldom has one worked better than this, which has mesmerising chemistry between stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn as a winning plus.

Director Stanley Donen - previously best-known for his Gene Kelly musicals - doesn't miss a trick in keeping the action moving at a furious rate, spinning madly from one red herring to another, disclosure upon disclosure.

Sometimes he goes for deadpan comedy, at others his camera is trained all out for thrills.

But the two moods never clash.

Charade is constantly intriguing with its combination of wit and directness.

And when it thrills, it really is a seat-gripper. One scene especially, a rooftop fight between Grant and George Kennedy, is skilfully exciting.

A tracking shot of villain firing at the hero through a forest of marble pillars is coolly calculated to set the pulses racing.