Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Alan W — 21 Jan 2014

Now regarded as a classic, but I would guess it has more to do with the iconic image of Mitchum's psychotic priest with his tattooed fists and the startlingly German expressionistic compositions than the tonally inconsistent and dated narrative that made the film's third act (and in particular, the last 15 minutes) confusing and unsatisfying.

Viewed as a sort of twisted fairy tale that is probably still far too scary for children nowadays (let alone back in the 50s), the film is probably ahead of its times both in terms of its design and its contents.

But one can't help but feel disappointed with that third act which feels tacked on in order to keep certain sector of the population happy.