Brilliant and touching

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

An ingeniously plotted, masterly crafted & excellently performed psychological horror thriller, Wait Until Dark slowly but steadily builds its momentum, expertly utilizes the available resources to ratchet up the tension as plot progresses and ultimately concludes with a memorable finale that brims with a sense of spine-chilling suspense & nail-biting terror.The story of Wait Until Dark concerns a recently blinded woman who's terrorized by a trio of thugs as they search for an old-fashioned doll that's stuffed with smuggled drugs and which they believe is somewhere in her apartment. Still learning to cope with her visual impairment and with no one to rely on but a little girl upstairs, she plays a deadly game of survival.Directed by Terence Young, the story is handled with restraint as the director takes his time to set up the premise and acquaints the audience with the relevant characters in a skillful manner before raising the stakes and escalating the suspense. Every moment is cleverly imagined, every twist is smartly placed, and all the characters are embedded with full-fledged arcs.Majority of the plot takes place inside the apartment and the production design team does well to fill the limited space with props that play an essential role in the final outcome, not to mention that the isolated setting also brings the claustrophobic element into play. Camera-work is fluid, lighting is apt, Editing provides a tightly-knitted structure to the whole narrative while music is at its finest during the climax.Coming to the performances, Wait Until Dark features a stellar cast in Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Krenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. & Jack Weston, and everyone plays their part convincingly but it's Hepburn who steals the limelight with her blind lady rendition that ranks amongst her very best. Arkin is legitimately creepy in his role, Krenna plays his part with a gentle demeanour while Weston does well with what he's given.On an overall scale, Wait Until Dark is a first-rate example of its genre and scores high marks in all departments of filmmaking. Brilliantly directed, deftly written, smoothly photographed, impeccably edited, swiftly paced, fittingly scored & outstandingly performed, especially by Audrey Hepburn, it is a masterwork of restrained craftsmanship that refuses to age even after 50 years, and is one Hollywood classic that effortlessly lives up to its legacy. Highly recommended.

It's hard to say whether Audrey Hepburn truly pulls off being blind in this movie, but this is a strong cast, and seriously creepy story. Alan Arkin is fantastic as the ruthless drug dealer who schemes with a couple of characters played by Richard Crenna and Jack Weston to trick Hepburn into letting them into her home, in search of a doll that was used to smuggle heroin and which ended up in her husband's possession. The film is not 100% convincing and you'll probably find yourself pointing out a few plot holes, but it's convincing enough, and I liked how taut the story-telling was. What could be more eerie than thinking you're alone in your apartment, but have three men with you in the room? We feel for this vulnerable blind woman and pull for her as she begins to figure out what's happening by paying attention to her other senses (and getting some help from a neighbor girl), and there is real tension as she does. You'll have to suspend disbelief a little bit to enjoy it, but it's certainly worth watching.

Wait Until DarkSince sunlight doesn't matter to them, blind people should only work nightshifts.Fortunately, the blind woman in this thriller doesn't have a day job to worry about losing.When a drug mule stashes an antique doll filled with heroin on her husband (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) during his flight home, sightless Susy (Audrey Hepburn) becomes the unwilling victim to the thugs (Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Jack Weston) who come to her apartment looking for it.In order to best the burglars, Susy exploits what remaining faculties she has by grabbing a kitchen knife and cutting all power to her place.With a top tier cast, a slow-burner script adapted from the Broadway production and a gripping score courtesy of Henry Mancini, Wait Until Dark is a testament to the resilience of both women and the disable. Lastly, if you can't steal from a blind woman maybe you shouldn't be a criminal.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Wait Until Dark (1967): Dir: Terence Young / Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Jack Weston, Julie Herrod: Spellbinding psychological thriller about time and condition as a blind woman, played by Audrey Hepburn discovers ominous strangers presenting themselves in her apartment seeking a doll. It conceals drugs and Alan Arkin seeks assistance from fellow criminals Richard Crenna and Jack Weston in order to gain trust into the whereabouts. Director Terence Young makes great use of lighting as the apartment becomes eerie and ominous. Young previous directed a few James Bond outings before graduating to this. Hepburn is well cast as the blind heroine who slowly learns to use her limitations to her advantage during key moments. Arkin is brilliant as this sadistic killer whose methods are sly, cunning and deadly until his overconfidence becomes his enemy. Crenna and Weston are superb as blackmailed con men out to talk Hepburn out of the doll she knows nothing about. Crenna in particular begins to develop romantic feelings towards her. Julie Herrod plays a young girl in the building who allies herself with Hepburn as sort of watch out. Shocking masterpiece right down to its nail biting conclusion where limitations are advantages when pride overshadows the realization that the darkness waited upon may be the blessing of survival. Score: 10 / 10