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I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Admirable film.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

This movie has plot holes large enough to fly a 747 through. For one example, The Flash could not run as fast and as far as Max von Sydow apparently can, in freezing cold and wind, wearing only his skivvies. Exactly how far is it supposed to be from the asylum to the farm to the town?! For another, Trevor Howard, who is portrayed as a Lt. Columbo but is about as competent as Inspector Clouseau, never thinks to check for footprints in the snow. But it's fast paced and the acting is very good, although how the actors managed to keep straight faces is beyond me.

If Ingmar Bergman had written and directed an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, it may have looked something like this. Wrongly convicted mental patient Max von Sydow leaves the asylum each night to exact revenge on his nasty family members (who, he believes, set him up). Conniving sister Liv Ullman and weak willed brother-in-law Per Oscarsson are no match for von Sydow's vengeance. There's a lot of moody, stark images captured by director Laslo Benedek (the film was shot in a particularly chilly Norway & Sweden) and the music score (by Henry Mancini!) is very creepy. von Sydow is dynamite and Ullman gives a great performance (rare for a non-Bergman film). Trevor Howard is the cop on the case who very slowly peels the case open. Featuring a great, almost comic, ending!

It's awhile since I saw this movie but it really hooked me, especially seeing two old pros like Max Von Sydow and Trevor Howard going head to head. In looking at a few reviews I don't see much reference to his motivation which is what got me in and explains much of what he does. As I recall, an innocent man is found guilty of a murder committed by his unfaithful wife who frames him. To escape the death penalty he has to be certified criminally insane. If he's that way then he's in for life. Either way a no win. How he seeks to get square is ingenious and really tests Trevor Howard as the inspector. A real twist at the end that you will never forget. I haven't after 15 years or so since I last saw it. Terrific movie. Great acting and scenery. Definitely on my 'must have' list of movies.

Max Von Sydow brilliantly portrays Salem, a patient at an insane asylum. The chilling cinematography of some guy in his underwear running around in the chilling snow fields makes this thriller even more chilling. But wait till you hear the chilling score by Henry Mancini. He wisely uses de-tuned piano notes that set a perfect mood.