The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Wow! Such a good movie.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

First and foremost, The Night of the Hunter contains the extremely famous "love and hate" clip that you've probably seen in a montage or reenacted in another movie. Robert Mitchum, normally remembered for his blasé, laid-back performances, gives a fantastically energetic performance-one that was famously snubbed by the Academy in the 1955 Oscar nominations. In 1955, countless heartbreaking performances were beaten out by Ernest Borgnine in Marty, including Robert Mitchum's two finest hours: The Night of the Hunter and Not as a Stranger. In this classic thriller, Peter Graves starts the movie by leaving a lasting impression with his two young children, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce. He's robbed a bank and killed two people, but before he's arrested, he hides the stolen money in Sally's cloth doll. Robert Mitchum meets Peter in jail and learns about the stolen money. Then, Preacher Mitchum charms his way into Peter's family, hoping to find the hidden money. His pious religious front fools everyone, including Peter's widow Shelley Winters, but there's a very dark side hidden underneath. . .I could write pages about Bob's incredible performance, but instead I'll just wholeheartedly recommend you watch the movie for yourself. He's strong yet desperate, gentle yet frightening, seductive yet cold, and one of the most memorable villains in classic history. Shelley Winters is very convincing as the weak, meek widow, and evokes an enormous amount of sympathy from the audience. Billy Chapin is very engaging, and no doubt would have been cast as Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird if he were the right age. Lillian Gish rounds out the cast, playing a tough, protective, intelligent hero. It's great fun to watch her armed with a shotgun battling against the burly Bob!Not everyone is Clint Eastwood, and back in the day, it was pretty unusual for actors to cross over and direct a feature. Charles Laughton directed this noir classic and shows remarkable talent behind the camera. He doesn't just point and shoot; he's sensitive and highlights nuances, he draws remarkable performances from his actors, and is deliberate in his movements. There's so much to appreciate about The Night of the Hunter, and I suggest you rent it-I own a copy-and watch it on a dark, spooky evening.

Cinematography is great. Music is good and serves to heighten the suspense in the right places. Pacing and direction are decent. However, except for the little girl and Mrs Cooper (most of the time), the acting is generally terrible and quite tacky. Dialogue is so cheesy, sometimes it felt like I was watching a spoof.Overall, it felt more like a stage play. I don't regret watching it but no way it deserves the 8/10 rating it's currently on.

Disturbing or daring movie?? what's genre?? very hard to find the answers after 93 minutes watching carefully this near masterpiece movie l surrender...fantastic atmosphere of fear and dark...Laughton on first e final directing with help of the novel's writer created a visual movie as originality and unusual methods and process...such things given to movie the dimension of the movie have today...it was dropped in theater when released but the time is the master of the truth... Mitchum is fantastic as preacher....the both kids are great too...and Lillian Gish after a long hiatus on the scream was fabulous as old farmer woman who helps homeless kids....James Gleason as Uncle birdie is amazing....so this movie is really a little gem of cinema for those known how appreciate a Cultmovie like this!!!

Where to start? The acting has more ham than Easter dinner. Shelley Winters - fetching in her early years - is trying way too hard. Peter Graves never could act. The older couple - well, the woman, anyway - I wanted to see put in the ground she was so irritating. James Gleason - an old pro who is in too many movies to count - gives the worst performance of his life. Mitchum isn't menacing; he's a cartoon. The opening scene with the disembodied heads? Laughable. The soundtrack? Over-the-top. I watched this years ago and thought it was garbage, despite its reputation. So I watched it again on TCM and, sure enough, it's still garbage. The scene where Mitchem gets gonked on the head with the jar of preserves and then ''chases'' the kids up the stairs with his arms out-stretched is, and I say this without fear of contradiction - the most ineptly staged scene in the history of serious cinema. Charles Laughton made the correct decision to never direct another film. He was an un-talented hack behind the camera.