Charming as they are, neither Hammer nor James really seem convincingly rooted in this period romance—the former’s English accent is a farce and the latter feels like she’s been transplanted from a lighter movie. However, the whole thing would’ve been more or less innocuously forgettable except for the comparison with Hitchcock’s glorious masterpiece, which makes this rather slack remake seem offensive. There is one redeeming feature though and that is Kristen Scott Thomas’s sublime antagonist, which is delightfully upfront about her hammy intentions throughout. The woman is mesmerizing and we need to see more of her.