Watch Wait Until Dark

Wait Until Dark is a psychological thriller film from 1967, directed by Terence Young, and starring Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, and Richard Crenna. Based on a play of the same name by Frederick Knott, the film tells the story of a blind woman named Susy Hendrix, who becomes the target of a group of criminals searching for a doll filled with heroin.

The movie opens with two criminals named Harry Roat Jr. (Arkin) and Mike Talman (Crenna) carrying out a scheme to smuggle drugs into the country. They work with a woman named Lisa (Samantha Jones) to hide the drugs inside a doll, which they plan to sell on the black market. However, Lisa becomes nervous and hides the doll in the apartment of her husband, Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), who is a freelance photographer. Sam is away on a job, and Lisa is killed in a car accident while on her way to retrieve the doll.

Meanwhile, Susy Hendrix (Hepburn) is at home in her apartment, which she shares with her husband Sam. She lost her sight in a car accident and is now adjusting to life as a blind person. She is visited by the con man Mike Talman, who pretends to be an old friend of her husband's, and asks her to give him the doll. Susy is confused as she has no idea what he is talking about, but she begins to suspect that something is not right.

Soon, Harry Roat Jr. arrives on the scene and poses as a friend of Sam's, and also demands the doll. Susy realizes that these men are not who they claim to be and becomes increasingly frightened as their true intentions become clear. She is trapped in her apartment with no way out, as the criminals have cut off the phone line and disabled the lights.

What follows is a tension-filled game of cat and mouse, as Susy tries to outsmart the criminals and protect herself from harm. Using her other senses, she is able to anticipate their moves and devise a plan to defeat them. The scene where Susy turns off all the lights in the apartment to level the playing field and make it an even match is particularly memorable.

The film benefits greatly from Hepburn's performance as Susy. She portrays the character's vulnerability and resourcefulness in a way that is both convincing and compelling. Hepburn's portrayal of blindness is also noteworthy, as it is not exaggerated or stereotypical. She spent time with real blind people to prepare for the role and was determined to make Susy feel like a real person, rather than a caricature.

Arkin shines as Harry Roat Jr., playing the character with a level of menace that is both creepy and unsettling. Roat Jr. is a master of disguise and deception, and his unpredictability keeps the audience on their toes. Crenna, as the more level-headed criminal, provides a nice counterbalance to Arkin's character.

The film's climax is a tense and suspenseful scene that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Without giving too much away, it involves a clever use of a camera flash and a fight for control of a sharp object. The scene is expertly choreographed, with the tension building to a crescendo before the final resolution.

Overall, Wait Until Dark is a thrilling and engaging film that keeps the viewer guessing until the very end. There are moments of genuine terror, but also moments of heartwarming humanity, particularly in the relationship between Susy and her young neighbor, Gloria (Julie Herrod). The film's themes of deception, trust, and the triumph of the human spirit make it a timeless classic that is still worth watching today.

Wait Until Dark is a 1967 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.7 and a MetaScore of 81.