The Night of the Hunter, 1955

"The Night of the Hunter" is a great film. It's amazingly diverse with such a simple story – and also humbly beautiful at the exact moments when it is terrifyingly wicked. It has many things going for it. Robert Mitchum giving one of my favorite performances as one of my favorite screen villians. Some of the most beautiful cinematography ever put on film. And a quick pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat as it paces briskly on. It's intense, it's amazing, it's one my favorites. I love "The Night of the Hunter". It's a one-of-a-kind film, and it's timeless. It may have been made in the 50s – but it hasn't aged one bit. You can watch it today, and still be as terrified as if you was when if was first released. The film has a simple plot. It's about a father who is arrested after robbing a bank. He hides the money in his little girl's doll and tells both his daughter and his older son to not tell a soul where is was at. The kids keep their mouths shut; their father does not. While in prison, he shares a cell with Powell, who the father tells of the money, not to mention other stories, including mentioning the very place he lived. When Powell is released, he goes to the town, hunting down where the money could be. He goes as far as marrying the man's wife (Winters) and is keen on getting the kids to speak up, knowing they are aware of the money's whereabouts. As the film progresses, it becomes a visual nightmare. The picture perfect look of the film while the kids are home fades, and the film becomes a horrifying odyssey of these two young children running away, unknown of where to, with Powell on their tail – willing to murder them without a flash of thought. It is this, that make "The Night of the Hunter" so unsettling. The fact that this man, one you would expect to trust, would actually be willing to cut your throat. It's terrifying. Typing it even terrifies me. It is certainly a monumental film, even though, not many have seen it as much as they should.

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