to watch North By Northwest again.
North by Northwest does many things very well:
Big Sequences: most movies have one or more "big sequences," a powerful, gripping series of scenes where the story is told primarily visually. Act III is one sequence here (113-133 min.) and so is the set-up meeting with Capland in the boonies (65-73 min.), with the famous plane-chase scene. Look for ways to put big, visual sequences into your story.
Foreshadowing, payoff: give everything in your story a purpose. Here, at the auction, Van Damm buys a small statue - it ends up being the vehicle for smuggling secrets. Eve makes a note of Thornhill's personal match books; later this is the vehicle by which he sends her a note. Chekhov once said that if you introduce a gun in act one it has to go off in act three. The details you select should be selected for a purpose; find ways to make use of them (the objects in your story) later.
Dialogue: Much of Thornhill's character is revealed through his dialogue and wry sense of humor. Individualize your characters by giving them different personalities and let dialogue, the way they speak, reflect these personalities.
Audience knowledge: suspense can be created when we know more than a character does. We learn that Eve is Van Damm's mistress before Thornhill does, and this adds to the tension we feel as he flirts with her.
https://www.ibiblio.org/cdeemer/wright/north.html
Some things you can't make up.
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