The Stranger in Between

The name of the English director Charles Crichton is almost automatically associated by many with 'A Fish Called Wanda', the sparkling comedy from 1988. However, that was practically the last fiction film made by the director who was then 78 years old and was at the end of a career in who had directed more than 50 films in various genres from comedies to thrillers and had also put his name on some memorable creations of British television, including episodes of the cult series 'The Avengers' in the 60s. 36 years before this latest success, Crichton had directed a gem of a black-and-white film called 'Hunted' starring Dirk Bogarde, one of his favorite actors, alongside a six-and-a-half-year-old blond boy who filled the screen, like any child actor of great talent. In one hour and 20 minutes, Crichton has created a believable and humane story and captured, better than any documentary of the era, the image of an England struggling to recover from the destruction and human trauma of war.

Alfred Hitchcock emerged in the English film school, but had crossed the ocean over a decade before 1952. I think that he appreciated and would have signed the first few minutes of 'Hunted' without hesitation. It's an exceptional introduction. A boy of about six runs through the streets of London with a teddy bear in his hand. He carelessly crosses the street and is almost run over by a carriage pulled by two stallions. He continues to run and takes refuge in a building in ruins. There he comes across a man smoking a cigarette next to a corpse. We understand that he had just killed another man. The child freezes and drops the toy from his hands. The man takes his hand and the two leave together - the killer and the only witness to the crime.

Chris, the murderous man, had as motive for his crime the infidelity of his wife, who had taken advantage of the long absences due to his profession as a sailor to cheat on him. Robbie, the little boy, had good reasons to run away from home where he was being abused by his adoptive parents. The dependence between the two turns into a relationship of friendship and mutual support. They are fugitives and cross England from south to north, reaching the sea that may open the gate of salvation for them. All is shot with documentary simplicity and authenticity by Eric Cross, one of the best-known and most prolific cinematographers of English pre- and post-WWII films. Italian neorealism is not far away. Jon Whiteley is amazing as the little boy. Child actors usually charm and conquer through naturalness and sincerity, in his case an extraordinary expressiveness is added. Chris and Robbie's relationship never descends into melodrama. 'Hunted' is a simple and moving film, a beautiful combination of film noir and road movie, a gem in black and white.

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.

Britain just after the second world war must have been a grim place indeed. Still looking like a bomb site, with poor living standards, inadequate social services, stifling conformity and tough policing. Amid this bleak social landscape, Bogarde is a hopeless, alienated character fleeing from the police after a crime of momentary passion. He is joined by a scared and emotionally scarred small boy also on the run from a harsh reality. Their journey together is gruelling yet at the same time strangely aimless, as they focus on escaping the past with little idea of their future.

Like all good road movies, the journey changes the characters, as they are affected, enriched and ultimately redeemed by their own striving and by their personal interaction. Any more detail would spoil this story but you can be guaranteed of a fine reward at the end if you can stick with the grinding progress of this particular odyssey.

Filmed in suitably bleak black and white, there's a slightly too earnest quality about the way this movie strives to put everything in the worst possible perspective – but that's when looked at from the comfortable perspective of half a century later when life is a lot softer for many of us. Go the distance with this one and you'll be a better person for it.

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.

Right from the start this movie settles its direction straight: A bleak and almost unbearable ambiance surrounds Rob and Chris. They both got nothing to lose and so this unequal pair is ready to be on the run. Every scene is beautifully shot and the actors are really going through the motions. The greatest thing about this movie are teaches of the heart. The "bad" killer is a soft and caring guy whose life as a poor sailor dragged him into this mess.

Think about which society you're living in and why people sometimes do what they have to do...

Outstanding movie by all means!

Buy it now!