1955: The Night of the Hunter

Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) marries his former cellmate Ben's widow to get to Ben's ill-gotten gains. - It is widely regarded as a major classic, but despite some beautiful photography, I wonder why. Mitchum demonstrates he is not an actor, the screenplay, in which characters routinely talk to themselves to let us know what they think, is implausible and not particularly good at creating suspension and the visual make-believe is poor even by 1955 standards. Into the fat "overrated" folder. (6)