Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Ryan M — 05 Aug 2009

The shots in this film were very well-composed, and if it had been nothing more than these shots, strung together to tell a story, it would have been more of a success. The photography was evocative of a "modern" fairy tale, but the characters seemed to be caught somewhere between the storybook and reality: their performances weren't strong enough to be convincing, nor exaggerated enough to be delightfully campy.

The only exception was Robert Mitchum, who, between his demented preaching, injured howling and expert slinkiness, brilliantly played the part of the relentless black wolf.