Read User Reviews and Submit your own for The Night of the Hunter

10

ekolite82Jul 10, 2012

One of cinema's miracles.
This movie put in me in a trance mid-way. It just sucks you in. The plot, directing, acting, casting, character development. I could go on and on. A most classic of classic movies. Might not be for every personOne of cinema's miracles.
This movie put in me in a trance mid-way. It just sucks you in. The plot, directing, acting, casting, character development. I could go on and on. A most classic of classic movies. Might not be for every person in the world, but, to me, this movie is just as important to cinema as The Wizard of Oz or 2001: A Space Odyssey. Right up there with them.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

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10

ryancarroll88Aug 27, 2010

One of those movies that if I had seen as a child it would have terrified me to no end, and having seen it now, it just sits eerily in the back of my mind. It is truly a perfect thriller.

6 of 7 users found this helpful61

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10

LordNasebySep 27, 2011

Pretty much as brilliant as movies get. Mitchum plays the serial killer preacher(his favorite role he said) with absolutely no morals(except get money). The scene on the porch at night is probably THE most brilliant movie scene in history.Pretty much as brilliant as movies get. Mitchum plays the serial killer preacher(his favorite role he said) with absolutely no morals(except get money). The scene on the porch at night is probably THE most brilliant movie scene in history. Good acting, good story, good movie. this is film making at it's very best. A suspenseful masterpiece. there are moments where i am actually worried that he would catch the kids. An excellent film. I particularly like how he would fool his victims and their friends. He has more or less memorized the basics of Christianity and he uses that for his own ends. He is so evil that you like him a lot. also I like how this was Laughton's first attempt at directing. It was his first time and he came up with this. the only other time that I have seen that is with Citizen Kane. A masterpiece that will never fade into the ages. It has and will continue to stand the test of time.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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10

cutnshootApr 9, 2011

It is too bad that Chas never got to direct again. This is one of America's great films.....told as a fairytale "once upon a time" style. I saw it on late night T.V. in the 60's and have seen it many time since, (big time screen and T.V.)It is too bad that Chas never got to direct again. This is one of America's great films.....told as a fairytale "once upon a time" style. I saw it on late night T.V. in the 60's and have seen it many time since, (big time screen and T.V.) and it never gets old. One of Mitchum's best and unusual turns. There is nothing mediocre about this film at all. Doesn't get any better than this!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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1

UncleEarlDec 1, 2013

There has never been a more overrated movie to ever waste space in a film reel. I'm pretty sure everyone who gives it a good review is attesting it solely on mitchum's acting. He carries the movie alone and even then, it still sinks to rockThere has never been a more overrated movie to ever waste space in a film reel. I'm pretty sure everyone who gives it a good review is attesting it solely on mitchum's acting. He carries the movie alone and even then, it still sinks to rock bottom. Every single other actor is annoying, incompetent, or both. The plot rarely resolves anything it introduces in the story, like it's dragging its legs over jagged rocks and not trying to correct this. The conclusion came from absolutely nowhere. It's like everyone who was apart of this was hired to make a movie together and none of them had actually seen one before. This whole thing worked better as a novel where you don't have to accordion everything into a short 2 hour video and rely on actors to convey the work. I give it a 1 because mitchum wasn't God-awful in this.… Expand

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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2

DHEJan 8, 2011

Overall, this movie is a mess. It was badly acted, badly directed, and the plotting was plodding. Suspenseful? Give me a break. The child actors were especially annoying and the extras were just plain silly. I like classics, so it's notOverall, this movie is a mess. It was badly acted, badly directed, and the plotting was plodding. Suspenseful? Give me a break. The child actors were especially annoying and the extras were just plain silly. I like classics, so it's not just that it's an old movie. This could easily be the worst movie I ever watched all the way through. I would give it a zero except for some interesting camera work (for which Laughton may or may not deserve credit).… Expand

1 of 10 users found this helpful19

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0

carldamnitNov 18, 2018

I'm giving it a 0 because it had beautiful shots but all the conspiracy theories about why it wasn't a success in its day bother me, it's not a good movie.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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8

ovi_bzJan 9, 2011

Great movie. A lot of tension in it. Very good acting. The plot is a little bad regarding the money: it's the link that put all the movie in one piece but in the end it is not mentioned what happened with the money; did the police took theGreat movie. A lot of tension in it. Very good acting. The plot is a little bad regarding the money: it's the link that put all the movie in one piece but in the end it is not mentioned what happened with the money; did the police took the money or did John keep them?… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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9

LWFYMSep 27, 2013

Around the time this film came out, it did not have too many good reviews and did not do so well at the box office. It was not until later when people found the beauty in it, like finding a lost treasure. The film's plot seems simple enough,Around the time this film came out, it did not have too many good reviews and did not do so well at the box office. It was not until later when people found the beauty in it, like finding a lost treasure. The film's plot seems simple enough, but the way they do certain scenes and acting makes it creepy, Some people say the acting is not good at all, but that's for the better of the film. There are shadows and silhouettes that seems like it shouldn't be there, but that's to give the scene feeling and saying what's going on and a character's mood. There is no good way to describe this film other than a masterpiece in the thriller/noir genre. This is something you should see for yourself.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

daviddelnorte23Aug 22, 2017

Fui arrastrado a la filmoteca a ver esta película, no porque no me guste este tipo de películas, este cine tan clásico, sino porque esta es la típica película que tiene un toque "moñas" que hace que no sea mi tipo de cine. He de decir que noFui arrastrado a la filmoteca a ver esta película, no porque no me guste este tipo de películas, este cine tan clásico, sino porque esta es la típica película que tiene un toque "moñas" que hace que no sea mi tipo de cine. He de decir que no me aburrí en ningún momento del metraje y se me pasó bastante rápido, ¿Quiere decir esto que me gustó la película? La respuesta es, en general, no. Hay alguna parte como allá por el final que se vuelve bastante oscura por momentos y, después, una vez vista tiene cositas interesantes que cuenta. Mitchum tampoco me impresionó demasiado, y los niños se pueden ir... Pero en definitiva, estoy contento de haberla visto, siempre es bueno ver este cine, aunque... NO ES MI TIPO DE CINE. Pero es un clásio la película, hay que verla.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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10

mattkerr494Apr 8, 2018

Watched Feb 25, 2018

Matt Kerr’s review published on Letterboxd : One month into my personal film-watching challenge and this may be the best film that I have discovered this month. Robert Mitchum's performance as the shadowy, terrifyingWatched Feb 25, 2018

Matt Kerr’s review published on Letterboxd :
One month into my personal film-watching challenge and this may be the best film that I have discovered this month. Robert Mitchum's performance as the shadowy, terrifying Reverend Harry Powell is a reason to watch this movie alone. Love and hate tattooed to his knuckles, it is almost more terrifying to see him work his way into becoming a loved member of the community than it is to see his dark and murderous side unleashed. He haunts the screen with his presence, the shadows of his iconic hat and cheery sing-song lacing itself with the sinister undertone of his intent.
Fantastically scored and directed, and with one of the most terrifying and iconic villains of classic cinema, its no wonder that this film is rightfully revered as one of the all time greats, and with time may solidify itself as one of my all-time favourites.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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10

TimHMar 27, 2006

Awesome lone directorial effort by the great Laughton.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

9

SpangleMar 22, 2017

They say that Satan knows the Bible just as well as God, for he uses its words to trick believers and people of the world into following a path of destruction. By knowing the words of the Bible, Lucifer can easily trick people into thinkingThey say that Satan knows the Bible just as well as God, for he uses its words to trick believers and people of the world into following a path of destruction. By knowing the words of the Bible, Lucifer can easily trick people into thinking his voice is that of God and that his words are godly ones. Unfortunately, far too many people fall for this trickery and are led astray. It is in this world that a film such as The Night of the Hunter is born. One where a Preacher is the antagonist and with good reason. He is a cruel and evil man whose only goal is to find money stashed away by a bank robber on death row. He uses his position as a Preacher to find favor with the townsfolk and the man's widow. All that is standing in his way is a couple of kids sworn to secrecy by their father.

Moving in the shadows to try and woo their mother and the townsfolk, Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a truly brutal man. Arrested at the beginning of the film for being in possession of a stolen car, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing, sent to lead the righteous off the right path. He talks the talk and shows everybody he knows the Bible, but behind closed doors, he is ruthless. From murder to theft, this is not your father's Reverend. Instead, he is a manipulative and evil man that is deftly portrayed by Robert Mitchum. In my recent forays into older classics, I have become well acquainted with Mitchum and it is hard to see him playing so against type because, inherently, I want to root for him. Mitchum is a terrific actor and The Night of the Hunter really stands as a testament as to why that is the case. He chills the room by simply entering it and his dark figure seems to tower over all of those in his presence. He simply radiates evil and makes the perfect guy for this role as a false prophet. By casting Mitchum, it makes the audience immediately comfortable with Harry Powell, just as the townsfolk are considering his status as a preacher. However, we quickly see Mitchum's brilliance as he turns on a dime between God fearing preacher and the ruthlessly greedy soul he hides within.

As a tale of religion, the film is incredibly strong. On one hand, we have the wolf in sheep's clothing and on the other, we have Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gash). A woman of faith, she takes in both John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) - the children who Harry Powell tries to trick into giving him the location of their father's money - as well as other children. Though rejected by her own son, Rachel takes in children rejected by their parents or who are orphans and gives them a loving home. Reading often from the Bible and instilling a fear of God in her children, she stands as a beacon of light in the film and the true embodiment of faith. In the Bible it states, as Harry Powell quotes from Matthew 10:34, "Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Rachel, though bringing peace and happiness to this children, is defensive. When she catches wind of Harry's presence and finds out he is not John's father, she immediately defends her home and her children with a gun. Reasoning that this is a harsh world for small ones, she puts herself in harms way to defend the children in her charge against a brutal enemy. In its entirety, the Night of the Hunter is a deeply spiritual affair. It boils down to a man of evil fighting a woman of purity. He is the equivalent of a Holy War on Earth between the left hand of hate and the right hand of love and turns out exactly as illustrated by Harry Powell throughout the film with love conquering hatred.

Its tale of morality is not just limited to the main characters either, as even the Hangman (Paul Bryar) suffers greatly from his job. In hanging the children's father Ben Harper (Peter Graves), he once more finds himself grappling with the weight of his job and being unsure of its justification. A man who's job it is to kill people for the state may just be a job, but what is its impact on his salvation? Though working in the coal mines would likely kill him, he constantly expresses his regret over his job and wishes he had stuck with coal mining. It is a compelling debate and one that the film introduces with grace alongside its main story that raises a lot of questions. Is it better to die young and leave your family to fend for themselves or is it better to be the man in charge of hanging convicted criminals with blood on your hands? The answer is certainly not one that anybody would have a quality answer for.

As a film noir, director Charles Laughton heavily uses shadows, silhouettes, and lighting to create incredible cinematography. The highlight of the bunch being a shot of Harry Powell riding along the horizon on his horse. Silhouetted by the moon, the two young children can see him from a distance and can hear him singing. With the moment filled with tension due to its ominous presence, the film demonstrates how a simple… Expand