The Night of the Hunter (re-release)

Name: The Night of the Hunter (re-release)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Film-Noir
Released: October 26, 2001
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 99
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters

2001

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 123 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 123 Ratings

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The Night Of The Hunter

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Movie Details & Credits

United Artists | Release Date: October 26, 2001 | Approved

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters

Summary: In this re-release of 1955's eerie meditation on good and evil, a demented preacher (Robert Mitchum) relentlessly torments two small children in the Depression-era Bible Belt in order to get at their dead father's stolen fortune.

Director: Charles Laughton and Robert Mitchum and Terry Sanders

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Film-Noir

Rating: Approved

Runtime: 93 min

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Dave Kehr

An enduring masterpiece--dark, deep, beautiful, aglow. Read full review

100

Adam Smith

Ignored for a long time, this film is now impossible to ignore. Mitchum is magnetic. Read full review

100

Time Out London Tom Huddleston

It’s the most haunted and dreamlike of all American films, a gothic backwoods ramble with the Devil at its heels. Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

One of the greatest of all American films, but has never received the attention it deserves because of its lack of the proper trappings. Many "great movies'' are by great directors, but Laughton directed only this one film, which was a critical and commercial failure long overshadowed by his acting career. Read full review

100

Michael Atkinson

Laughton understood Agee's proximity to Grimm vaudeville, and fashioned the most intensely expressionistic movie of its day. Read full review

100

David Sterritt

This is the only film Laughton ever directed, and he packed it with a mixture of eerie chills, ingenious suspense, and absurdist humor. It's a genuine classic. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

This start for Gregory as producer and Laughton as director is rich in promise but the completed product, bewitching at times, loses sustained drive via too many offbeat touches that have a misty effect. Read full review

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User Reviews

ryancarroll88

Aug 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

mattkerr494

Apr 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, terrifying Reverend Harry Powell is a reason to watch this movieWatched 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

LordNaseby

Sep 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. Good acting, good story, good movie. this is filmPretty 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

LWFYM

Sep 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, but the way they do certain scenes and actingAround 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

Spangle

Mar 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 thinking his voice is that of God and that his words areThey 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

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

KenR

Nov 3, 2019

The strange fact-based story about “Reverend” Harry Powers, written by Davis Grubb, was turned into this equally strange film by first-time producer Paul Gregory. Gregory gave the directorial responsibilities to his friend Charles Laughton and the task of adapting the screenplay to PulitzerThe strange fact-based story about “Reverend” Harry Powers, written by Davis Grubb, was turned into this equally strange film by first-time producer Paul Gregory. Gregory gave the directorial responsibilities to his friend Charles Laughton and the task of adapting the screenplay to Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Agee (AKF: “A Death in the Family “an
autobiographical novel). Laughton claimed part-writing credits but this has been heavily disputed since the finding of Agee’s original screenplay - showing the film to be shot as written by Agee. While Laughton has chosen to give his 1955 film (set in the 30s) the look of something that may have been produced in the silent era – he sometimes adds the odd unintentional laugh – these come via curious characters dotting the equally strange sets and situations. It was also evident Laughton had trouble with the kids. Perhaps the real power of this bizarre work should be credited to Director of Photography Stanley Cortez. Cortex has fused the film with striking visual atmosphere - adding an ethereal mood to the already dark story of a psychologically deranged ‘preacher’ serial killer. Whoever called the shots, between the two of them, they certainly left us with a haunting visual treat – who could ever forget the long blond hair flowing within the river currents, intertwined with the long wisps of river growth! The casting of stars from the silent era also gives the film an older look but there are undoubtedly many superb scenes to be enjoyed throughout this, at times, unsettling story. There’s an effective music score by Walter Schumann along with an odd casting choice of Mitchum as the hideous ‘reverend’ but at least the horror elements were subtle and not in-your-face like the current cheapies some have become used too.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

carldamnit

Nov 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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