This film, while certainly watchable, is just too contrived to deserve the greatness that has been bestowed upon it. Way too preachy--and I don't mean Mitchum's character! Great performances by the child actors, however, and by most of the adults. But Shelley Winters religious "rebirth" or whatever you want to call it is just ridiculous, and it isn't a good performance. Lilian Gish is saddled with the oh-too-precious lines toward the end of the film, which are almost too much to bear. But I do appreciate her skill with a shotgun. ( )

A mad "preacher" is after money that two kids have hidden.

Powerfully suspenseful and visually beautiful. Mitchum's preacher is one of the scariest movie characters of all time. It's a strange movie, combining expressionist horror and noir crime thiller - taking the best from both worlds without much regard for the audience's expectations. I appreciated and enjoyed it a lot more the second time around.

Concept: B
Story: A
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: B
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: B
Music: A

Enjoyment: A

GPA: 3.7/4 ( )