Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Aaron C — 03 Nov 2009

Being a fan of classic American cinema as well as film noir, I have come across this title often over the years and have heard nothing but overwhelming praise. It is often hailed as a "classic" and "ahead of its time." I really haven't found a single serious reviewer who has anything bad to say about the film. Thus, I viewed it with extremely high hopes.

I have to say that it did deliver in certain areas, but it didn't knock my socks off. The style and cinematography are tremendous and Robert Mitchum's performance is eerie and unforgettable, but a pretty weak ending and a bit of over-acting keeps me from labelling it as one of the best films of all time. Robert Mitchum's character, "Reverend" Harry Powell is up there with some of the most terrifying figures in cinema history, but I still prefer Mitchum's acting in such classics as "Out of the Past," "Pursued," and "Cape Fear.".

The film is masterfully shot and features a number of unforgettable black and white images; which says a lot for first (and only) time director, Charles Laughton. He wastes no time in moving the story along and creating suspense at every turn. The plot revolves around Powell's pursuit of $10,000 of stolen money that he finds out about from his death row prison cell mate. He quickly moves in on the man's victimized family by marrying the widow, and torments her and her children with his creepy religious morals and threatening behavior. His attention turns to the two small children who know a secret about the money and he attempts to control them.

The film is stock full of biblical parables and draws upon religious imagery throughout. The tattoos of the words "love" and "hate" across Powell's knuckles are a particular point of interest and add another memorable cinematic moment.

The film is quite difficult to classify and does have a bit of a timeless feel to it. I would call it a suspense/psychological thriller much more than a film noir. Regardless of how you classify it, I would agree that it is worth a viewing. All and all it is a nice little relatively forgotten film. Not epiphany material, but full of inspiring moments.