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The plot of Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief (1955) is set in motion by a series of precise, escalating events that force a retired criminal out of hiding. The following actions initiate the story:
The film begins with a stylized montage that establishes the "inciting incident": a string of high-profile jewel robberies on the French Riviera. Hitchcock uses a black cat walking across various rooftops at night to symbolize the return of "The Cat," the alias of retired burglar John Robie (Cary Grant). The scene is intercut with wealthy women screaming as they discover their jewelry boxes have been emptied.
Because the new robberies perfectly mimic Robie’s signature style—scaling high walls and entering through rooftops—the French police, led by Commissaire Lepic, immediately suspect him. They arrive at Robie's hilltop villa to take him in for questioning. Robie maintains his innocence, claiming he hasn't stolen a jewel in 15 years, but the police are unconvinced.
The plot truly shifts into gear with Robie’s escape, which demonstrates his "cat-like" agility and cunning:
Robie travels to a restaurant owned by Bertani, a former associate from their days in the French Resistance. This scene provides critical backstory: Robie and his former gang were paroled for their war service on the condition that they remained law-abiding. Because the new robberies are putting the entire group under police surveillance and threatening their freedom, Robie’s former friends are hostile and even attempt to attack him. Robie realizes that the only way to save himself—and appease his former comrades—is to catch the real thief himself.
To catch the new "Cat," Robie needs to know where the thief will strike next. He arranges a meeting with H.H. Hughson, an insurance agent for Lloyd’s of London who is desperate to stop the payouts for the stolen jewels.
The summary mentions Robie arranging a meeting with Hughson but omits the iconic scene at the Nice flower market where they meet, which involves a chase and Robie being beaten with flowers by a vendor.
The summary mentions the bus escape but omits the subsequent boat escape to Cannes where Danielle Foussard helps Robie evade police.
The plot of To Catch a Thief (1955) is set in motion by a series of jewel robberies on the French Riviera that mimic the style of retired cat burglar John Robie. The police, led by Commissaire Lepic, attempt to arrest Robie at his villa, but he escapes using his housekeeper Germaine as a decoy (her car is blocked by sheep) while he flees by bus. Robie seeks help from his former Resistance comrades at Bertani's restaurant, but they are hostile due to the police scrutiny. To clear his name, Robie decides to catch the copycat himself. He meets insurance agent H.H. Hughson (notably at a flower market in Nice) to acquire a list of potential targets, leading him to the Stevens family, where he assumes the alias 'Conrad Burns'.