L'assassino arriva sempre alle 10

It has been thirty years since I first saw this title, at a drive-in movie theater, with my girlfriend. She and I both had eyes glued to the screen. The "feeling" of the setting still lingers and we could almost experience the cold. But what I remember the most is that The Night Visitor gave new meaning to the old line,

"a little birdy told me...".

Superb direction and wonderfully twisting ending!

We actually saw this on original release in 1971 in the old downtown Tucson theater. We walked a few blocks home to the delightfully serene ex-mortuary we rented during our college years and were compelled to discuss it for hours. Such was the emotional pull. After seeing Max in a few more intriguing films as this, he became my favorite actor for many years. He really knew how to pick clever roles. Like Jack Nicholson! Or, Michael Caine for a British actor. Along with the compelling interplay between him and old pro Trevor Howard, it makes this movie a must see for fans of the off-beat. His character, as the dark plot evolved, begged the question: "Is he crazy-or genius?" Definitely, an underrated and under-viewed film for many years.

This film opens up with Max von Sydow running across snowy fields in his underpants. Good lord, we wonder, what's he doing out there? Isn't he freezing? Soon he cleverly figures out a way to get into a house via an upstairs window, and it becomes apparent that he knows the three people who are engaged in a disagreement in the kitchen below. We're not sure what he's up to, and as it's best you don't know a lot about the plot before watching this one, I won't say more.

The story is taut and well-told by director László Benedek, who wisely avoids extraneous detail, and there are moments of real tension. It's dark, but Benedek exercises restraint, which I liked, but which may turn off viewers seeking more explicit thrills. Trevor Howard, who you may recognize from Brief Encounter (1945) and The Third Man (1949), is strong as a detective, and the rest of the cast are all good as well. I liked the way we eventually see how von Sydow is able to do what he does, though you'll have to suspend disbelief a bit. Clever ending too.

I remember catching 'The Night Visitor' on UK late night TV in the late 70's. At that time I'd not heard of it but was hooked from the outset. Many of the haunting images stayed with me and recently I got all nostalgic and started searching for either video or DVD releases of several lost gems from the early 70's, amongst them 'And Soon The Darkness', 'I Start Counting' and of course 'The Night Visitor'. Success!!! as all titles were available on DVD (some are deleted from obscure labels but all frequently pop up on Ebay for reasonable amounts). Strangely, having caught up with several long forgotten film or TV shows from my childhood, most have been disappointing, however 'The Night Visitor' retains it's menacing, almost surreal air and Max Von Sydow carries the film with great support from Trevor Howard (who seems to be setting the tone for his later appearance in 1973's 'The Offence') and I even recalled Arthur Hewlett as the prison guard with the gnome-like features. All in all a MUST for any Von Sydow fan and any lover of quirky psychological thrillers, low on budget but high on plot and intrigue.

Salem (Max von Sydow) was found guilty of murder two years ago and was sentenced to an asylum for the criminally insane. However, Salem was innocent...and now he's very angry. How angry? Angry enough to figure a complicated way to escape, pay back those who have wronged him and then return unnoticed to his cell.

The pacing of this one is slow and an editing might have helped. On the other hand, the story idea is great. The escape is very complex and believable....and you get to see it from start to finish. And, finally, it ends very well. Overall, a great little thriller well worth your time simply because it was written so very well.