The Stranger in Between

....and "Gloria" (1980) and "Leon" as well...Charles Crichton,whose career spans the second half of the century ("a fish named Wanda"!),is definitely a director to upgrade.

"Hunted" is a small gem ,a suspenseful sensitive story which casts Bogarde as an unlucky murderer on the lam and young John Whiteley as a moving kid.A road movie,from the bleak city to the wild moors of Scotland ,where a special chemistry between the man and the boy literally grows on the audience .

Spoilers.Spoilers. Like all the great storytellers ,Crichton introduces first Bogarde as the "villain " who abducts a cute brat.But further acquaintance shows this:actually both of them are victims of a society that increases the prestige of money ,of Bogarde's boss who sleeps with his wife ,a society that does not care a little bit about its orphans whom it leaves to hateful "parents" .The boy really acts as if he's got nothing to lose.

Admirable sequence :In a bedroom they share for one night,Bogarde begins a bedtime story for his protégé:it's a fairy tale ,a story of a giant.But little by little ,the story becomes HIS own story :what a smart way of letting us know about the hero's past!During this sequence ,which takes place halfway through the film,we see the boy SMILE for the first time.His face is so beaming we are on the verge of tears .He will laugh later ,in his pal's mean brother's house ,during the meal.When Bogarde sails away with his "hostage" ,he makes the story he told come true . End of spoilers .end of spoilers

Bogarde's rendering is a real tour de force and many consider this part

his first important one:tense,distraught,anguished,he runs the whole gamut of emotions.Matching him every step of the way is Whiteley's performance :in the three examples I mention at the beginning of my comment ,which I admire (with the exception of Besson's) ,the young actors cannot hold a candle to him.Instant karma:he won a special AA the following year,and was given the main part in Lang's "Moonfleet" in 1954.He was to meet again Bogarde in "Spanish gardener".

Crichton had often been labeled "for the whole family".But they totally missed the point:"hunted" is not a rosy work,its open ending does not settle the things ,but increases our fear of what will become of our two so endearing heroes.His directing is now nervous -the first sequences when the heroes do not stop running -,now intimate -all the scenes where the two characters hang on to each other,now poetic -the seagulls which accompany the triumphant voyage .A wonderful use of nature (not unlike Charles Laughton's "the night of the hunter") and its wildlife where the runaways take refuge.

Wonderful movie.

There is a very perceptible difference between Hollywood productions and British filmmaking. Hollywood would have over-dramatized this film. "Big" stars would have been included. The production values would have been pristine, first-rate and in color. And the end result would have been considerably less than that which was produced by British filmmaking. Dick Bogarde was just as good as any 50s Hollywood male star. The child star, Jon Whitely, was exceptional, and some spoiled LA brat could not have done half as well. A film about a murderer trying to escape can be gripping. And a film about a mistreated boy who runs away from home can be very engaging as well. But if you combine those two elements, you have a classic, and this is it.

In the 1950s, Dirk Bogarde played three main sorts of roles in films--sailors or soldiers, the nice Dr. Sparrow in the Doctor movies as well as complete sociopaths. Of these roles, the sociopaths are by far the most interesting to watch. During this time, he often played murderers and crooks on the run. So, when I first started watching "The Stranger in Between", it came as no surprise as he's once again playing a murderer on the run! However, as the film progresses you realize that this seemingly simple film has a lot more depth to it--depth that make it a standout picture.

When the movie begins, a cute little boy is hiding after he'd been playing with matches. He stumbles into the hiding place of Chris (Bogarde)--a guy who is wanted for murder! Chris doesn't want to let the boy go--he could tell people where he's hiding. So he convinces the boy that the police are looking for BOTH of them and they set off together on a cross-country run to avoid capture.

About midway through this movie, you start to notice some things that make it interesting. Chris isn't just a mindless killer--his motivations and what he did exactly aren't quite so black and white. The boy also is not just some scared kid--he's been terribly abused and in some ways he's better off on the run with a killer than staying in his former life! The film also has a few unexpectedly nice moments between the two. Chalk this up to excellent acting, writing and direction. Where is this all going? Well, see the film to find out for yourself.

Although this movie is nearly fifty years old, it had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. What was going to happen next? Would the characters escape? I can't say much more, without giving away the story except - "Hunted" was brilliantly plotted and directed. Thumbs up to everyone concerned, including Dirk Bogarde as the wanted man, and Jon Whitely as the little boy whom he first used, and then befriended.

A hardened criminal gets back in touch with his humanity after caring for a vulnerable boy while both are on the run.

If you didn't love Dirk Bogarde before seeing this film, you will after.