Fans of the horror classic Psycho will be flocking to see Sir Anthony Hopkins portray its creator and the process he went through to bring the 1960 film to the screen. But will Sacha Gervasi's feature debut, Hitchcock, satisfy their urge to understand how the dark tale came to be told?

Sir Anthony certainly satisfies in the title role, undergoing a miraculous transformation to replicate the British director's famous corpulence.

Nit-pickers will find that although his drawl is a good approximation of Hitch's voice, it lacks some of its more rounded qualities - Sir Anthony's Shakespearean precision doesn't quite capture the almost-drunk tones of the director's speech.

Helen Mirren shines as Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville, while Australian Toni Collette demonstrates her now-perfect American accent as the director's long-suffering assistant Peggy Robertson. Scarlett Johansson's version of Janet Leigh is both light enough to capture the actress and vulnerable enough to portray her character in Psycho, Marion Crane.

However the difficulty with Hitchcock comes not with the actors but with the storyline, which isn't entirely certain if it's a drama, a serious biopic or a comedy. Granted, Hitchcock himself is renowned for his witty one-liners, and the exploration of his and Alma's relationship is fascinating.

But a large portion of the film is spent drearily repeating its theme of infidelity, combined with the sexism and prurience of the times.

While it offers an entertaining look into the Hollywood of the 1960s, with little or no insight into the characters' internal lives Hitchcock ultimately seems to be a movie that fails to meet its story's potential.

Hitchcock (M) is in Australian cinemas now.

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