Nightfall

1956

1h 18m

Crime

Drama

List

100%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

In rural Wyoming, James Vanning (Aldo Ray) aids stranded motorists John (Brian Keith) and Red (Rudy Bond). But after James finds out that the men just pulled off a huge bank heist, they try to kill him. When a harsh storm suddenly hits, the crooks lose their loot, and James manages to escape to Los Angeles, where he goes into hiding. He receives an unwelcome visit, however, from John and Red, who believe that James knows more about their lost money than he's letting on.

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nick s

A fairly good film. Some aspects could have been better... the characters made illogical decisions, the hero kept beating off armed assailants with bare hands, and the plot lacked juicy surprises. Also the lead actor was a little patchy. But still worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

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Audience Member

Black and White but does not waste your time ever. Immediate suspense that never lets up. A very eloquent film, simple but beautiful.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Tom M

Great noire. Ray and Bancoft are perfect as is supporting cast. Villian's creative demise during climax is classic.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/03/20

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Audience Member

Screenwriter Stirling Silliphant offers up a string of implausibilities in this tightly scripted noir. Silliphant does provide master filmmaker Jacques Tourneur cool locations like an oil pump field and outdoor fashion show that give the movie a Hitchcockian-feel. Aldo Ray plays the lead and it's great to see film lovers take a new accounting of his work.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Jacques Torneur maestro del blanco y negro.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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george r

Aldo Ray is so-so, but anne bancroft and the other actors more than compensate. The plot has some weaknesses but the mood is great and i enjoyed the ending a lot.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Aldo Ray

James Vanning

Brian Keith

John

Anne Bancroft

Marie Gardner

Jocelyn Brando

Laura Fraser

James Gregory

Ben Fraser

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David Fear

Time Out

The kind of pedigreed pulp that gets left off greatest-genre-hits lists yet still inspires motormouthed overpraising from directorial enthusiasts.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 9, 2010

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J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Not only a nifty late noir but a model of economical filmmaking -- well-sketched atmosphere, deft characterizations, and a 78-minute running time.

Jun 8, 2010

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Simon Abrams

Slant Magazine

In spite of that tantalizing potential, Nightfall will always just be a promising B picture.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 7, 2010

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Jacques Tourneur has great fun playing with and subverting noir tropes.

May 31, 2019

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Sean Axmaker

Parallax View

Crisply directed, scripted with gems of hardboiled lines and superbly paced, it's a film of darkness and light that ends up in the snowy mountains of Wyoming...

Aug 11, 2010

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Uneven thriller with some fine set pieces and beautiful photography.

Aug 9, 2007

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Synopsis

In rural Wyoming, James Vanning (Aldo Ray) aids stranded motorists John (Brian Keith) and Red (Rudy Bond). But after James finds out that the men just pulled off a huge bank heist, they try to kill him. When a harsh storm suddenly hits, the crooks lose their loot, and James manages to escape to Los Angeles, where he goes into hiding. He receives an unwelcome visit, however, from John and Red, who believe that James knows more about their lost money than he's letting on.

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Screenwriter: Stirling Silliphant
Production Co: Copa Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Oct 19, 2010
Runtime: 1h 18m