The Night of the Hunter

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Doug K I was more impressed by this when I first saw it years ago. Just watched it again, and was too aware of the flaws in story-telling. It's still visually impressive, and for Charles Laughton's only directorial attempt, it's laudable. But it's aggravating to watch so many errors being made by the characters, in actions and decisions taken, and whom they choose to believe. There are more lovely subtleties than you'll find in today's films, and the performances are fun to watch. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/03/25 Full Review M B Genuinely disturbing and enthralling movie even if some of the film making techniques are dated. Great acting too. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/25 Full Review Michael C "The Night of the Hunter" is a movie that in my opinion is just as relevant to today's society as it was to the society that existed when the movie was originally released seventy years ago. The character of Harry Powell (Played masterfully by the late Robert Mitchum.) uses religion to disguise and even justify the terrible crimes he has committed by saying it is what God wants him to do or that it was necessary to root out evil in this world. This is unfortunately what we hear a lot even in today's society. That is a significant reason why "The Night of the Hunter" does not seem outdated and why its message does not seem outdated. There are certainly other reasons why the movie works too. The first is the terrific cast. Mitchum is excellent as the preacher who presents himself as a man of God but is soon revealed to be anything but. He made me jump out of my seat a few times. Mitchum is also helped by a very good supporting cast. The late Billy Chapin is terrific as the stepson of Powell who soon sees through Harry Powell's charade. The late Lillian Gish is terrific as Rachel Cooper, a strong-willed woman who looks after orphaned children. She is tough as nails but also caring and compassionate for the children in her care. The scenes where she bravely stands up for the children and her property against Powell are nothing short of excellent. The movie has a few clever turns in the script which help to make the movie compelling and keeps the audience's interest well. On the other hand however, the script contains the bulk of the movie's flaws (Though there are few such in total.). The script's climax and ending were not well written. There were many loose ends. I don't see why there were no resolutions to some key points and a few plot holes. In the end though the strong highlights of Mitchum's and Gish's great performances and a message that still feels relevant today make "The Night of the Hunter" a movie that is certainly worth seeing. I recommend you do. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review EDDIE P Great flick Mitchum fantastic as the preacher/villain Pretty scary stuff for it's time Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/12/25 Full Review Audience Member Charles Laughton in his acting and here behind the camera, was just smarter and better than most Hollywood audiences. You saw it in Mutiny on the bounty and you see it here. This is an American Gothic classic and I’m glad people are starting to realize just how special it is. It should be on every top 100 list that’s ever been written. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/06/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review Read all reviews

The Night of the Hunter

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