The Night of the Hunter

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Henry D @Henry_Domke 2d Rich, complex, and extremely well done. It reminded me at times of Huckleberry Finn, particularly in the children’s journey down the river. Everything worked, including the great sound, unusually stylish cinematography, and fine acting. The film became better and more complex as it went along, and the arrival of Lillian Gish near the end added a great deal. On top of everything else, it was a fine print. See more Jithin K @Jithin Jul 30 The horror elements coming from the way hypocrisy works and enables the evil men is what worked mostly for me in this movie. But I didn't feel like it's as great a classic as a lot of its praise makes it seem. Its contemporary reviews when it was released makes a lot of sense to me even if I don't completely agree with all of it. See more Joaquin U @Joaquin1 Jul 18 Mostly entertaining. An unconventional film with an interesting plot, but it keeps jumping genres—thriller, drama, fairy tale, horror, then back again. Mitchum has good moments, though often over-the-top, and the boy had no business acting in a movie. Decent cast overall. The direction is strange, but there are sequences with strong photography and flashes of artistic vision. Not a classic, despite the love of some critics for weird films with a lot of plot holes and absurdities—just a passable old movie for a lazy afternoon watch. See more Alejandro E @Alex970 Jul 13 It is not for nothing that religion, like our parents, warns us against wolves in sheep’s clothing. Robert Mitchum is unsettling in the role of a self-righteous, widowed black preacher. The suspense, with just the right amount of tension, is present throughout. See more Matthew A @iWupp Jun 28 This is a stunning looking film. The use of shadows and sharp edges is clearly inspired by past German expressionist films and I love it. The interior architecture in particular is super jagged with sharp edges. It makes some of the interior shots of the bedrooms jaw dropping. Not only that but the dream like scene of them in the boat floating down the river was so mesmerizing. On top of the visuals the story is really solid with a constant sense of danger for our protagonists. This film doesn't hold back one bit and shows you what the preacher is willing to do to acquire their money. Doing so you're genuinely nervous for these kids and can only imagine the fear of being in their shoes. This is on the cusp of being an all time great film but just doesn't stick the landing in my opinion. The third act and ending hold this back making it only a great film. See more Tom F @RT55173143 Dec 12 An insane story about children and women at the mercy of a charismatic and violent man. This is the kind of older film that isn’t universally hailed as a classic but still has a lot of stuff going on that’s fun to watch and to talk and think about. See more Read all reviews

The Night of the Hunter

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