Thirty-Nine Steps, The

Alfred Hitchcock, 1935.

Gentlemanly Canadian Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) befriends a distraught Annabella Smith, who claims to be a spy involved in counter-espionage. When he awakes to find her with a knife buried in her back Hannay is forced to go on the run to Scotland, in an attempt to prove her claims and clear his name. Pursued by detectives, spies and a sinister professor without a pinkie, Hannay leads a wild chase, ending up cuffed to a reluctant accomplice (Madeleine Carroll), who fall in love. Highly enjoyable and influencing many thrillers to come.