Review of Wait Until Dark (1967) by Eric R — 21 Sep 2011

Gloria, is paid to transport Heroin in a stuffed doll for some thugs. After she tries to double cross them, she is found dead. The thugs believe that her next door neighbor, Susy, a blind woman who is strong willed women, yet she struggles emotionally at times with her blindness, has stashed the doll in her apartment.

This leads to the three men scoping out the apartment and trying to find where the doll could be hidden through pretending to be people they are not. Wait Until Dark feels like it was made in the Hitchcockian vein of thrillers.

Nearly the entire film takes place in one location and the tension is a slow building towards the conclusion. The music is also reminiscent of Hitchcock. Its a pretty fun film too, watching the trio of criminals jump through extravagant hoops, making an elaborate story to try and get Susy to help them find the doll, which she really doesn't have any idea about.

It's more psychologically terrifying than anything as Susy is essentially imprisoned in her home throughout the night. Audrey Hepburn does a good job as Susy, she captures both the strong-willed character who is also very vulnerable.

That being said, Alan Arkin absolutely steals the show as leader of the trio, they psychopathic Roat. His calm demeanor and slick accent make him so much fun to watch.