AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

donaldricco Robert Mitchum singing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" is just about one of the creepiest things on film! And his silhouetted outline is another! Dang, that man can play a bad guy! And this time he's a bad preacher terrorizing two children! Yikes! And Lillian Gish makes her character, Rachel Cooper, come alive as his opposite! It's a good movie, mostly due to Mitchum, but it does have some issues with choppy story telling and/or film editing. But the overhead shots are pretty cool for an older film, and overall, this is was a pleasure to watch! And those LOVE/HATE tattoos on the preacher's knuckles are creepy as heck! As is this quote, my final thought on the film: " I can hear you whisperin' children, so I know you're down there. I can feel myself gettin' awful mad. I'm out of patience children. I'm coming to find you now." eeeeee.....

Tweekums This classic film is set during the Great Depression; Ben Harper has stolen ten thousand dollars, killing two people in the process. He manages to get home and gives the money to his children, John and Pearl. They hide it in Pearl's favourite rag doll and he tells them not to tell anybody else, including their mother, about it. Shortly afterwards he is arrested and sentenced to hang. In prison he tells his story to his cellmate, Harry Powell. Powell professes to be a preacher but he preys on women who he murders for their savings. After Ben is executed and Powell's short sentence ends he heads off to befriend Ben's widow, Willa. Everybody except John takes an immediate liking to Powell. It isn't long before Powell marries Willa and soon after that he starts pressuring John to find where the money is hidden. Things soon get very dangerous as Powell will go to any length to get the money.After over sixty years this film is still gripping and manages to provide some real surprises for the first time viewer. Robert Mitchum manages to be both plausible and genuinely menacing as the evil Powell. The innocent town where the Harpers live certainly isn't ready for a man like Powell. Shelley Winters is solid as Willa and Lillian Gish impresses as the woman who ultimately helps the children. Young Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce are also good in the roles of John and Pearl respectively. Director Charles Laughton did a fine job building the tension, creating the right atmosphere and providing some moments that are surprisingly disturbing for a film of this era. Overall I'd say that this is a must see for any fans of classic cinema in general and certainly for fans of film noir.

Antonius Block Not a bad thriller, but not a great one either. There are some creepy moments in this movie to be sure, and Robert Mitchum terrorizing two little kids will make you cringe or maybe have you urging them to run. The shot director Charles Laughton captures of Shelley Winters in the lake is excellent, and Mitchum's 'L-O-V-E' on the knuckles of one hand with 'H-A-T-E' on the knuckles of the other is iconic. Oh, and it was fantastic to see 62-year-old Lillian Gish, who turns in a suitably feisty performance.On the other hand, Laughton's direction is heavy-handed and clunky at times, and there are plot moments that just don't seem quite right. The acting ranges from poor to so-so, Mitchum included (though he certainly is a handsome fellow), and the soundtrack is too intrusive, annoyingly so in the jaunty bits. I hated the ending, which breaks out clichés like a torch-wielding mob and overdone Biblical verse. The movie was disturbing to audiences in 1955, likely because of the cruelty and evil shown in a man of the cloth, which made it not well received and caused Laughton to never direct again. I find it decent and worth seeing, but a little dated and lacking real horror.

TheBigSick The tension starts from the beginning, as the audience keep wondering if John can keep the money from Powell. The suspense increases when Powell kills Willa. The audience just hope that John and Pearl can escape from Powell. The climax comes when Powell arrives at Cooper's house. The atmosphere reaches a gut-wrenching degree. The movie also succeeds in character development, especially the kids. John is the bravest kid I've ever seen, and Pearl is one of the cutest children in the history of cinema.