The first time I saw Charles Laughton's THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, I remember a sense of bafflement after it. What to make of it? It references nothing (accidentally so, German Expressionism), but, truly, purely, is a work of originality. Seeping between fairytale imagery, animal life, shadows, civil war songs, and Robert Mitchum's towering presence is great filmmaking intertwining everything together. Out of nowhere, shot in a swoop, Mitchum's Preacher enters the lives of two children with a dead father, a teddy bear filled with cash he stole, and a ditzy mother. He takes advantage of them, seeking the stolen money after hearing of it from the father when they were jailed together. H-A-T-E written on his left hand, L-O-V-E written on his right, Mitchum gives one of cinema's best performances, singing, killing, and in shadows all the time. The film is such a mystery though, its imagery, camera movements, sensations could have only come out of Laughton's head. His only film, it's a masterpiece: a work of all-out expression depicting good and evil.
The Night of the Hunter: ★★★★
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