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The Night of the Following Day (1969)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 11/06

NightFoll
11/06: Marlon Brando gives an intriguing performance in The Night of the Following Day while Rita Moreno, who hadn't appeared in a film for six years, overacts.

It's not a well-developed picture due to lack of coherence. Why stage a big crime when there are four supposedly professionals who happen to be amateurs at their jobs? The ending is memorable and unique in terms of getting the final man. Most of the acting is okay, but the characters are badly sketched, giving me a hard time to understand who they are or what their purpose is.

Marlon Brando is great, but he can be more special. His character is so underdeveloped that a lot of the potential has been wasted. Because the female hostage is killed, I suppose the message is somebody like her, especially from a wealthy family, who acts promiscuously should suffer.

According to IMDb, "Hubert Cornfield, on the Universal DVD commentary, claims that Marlon Brando, in an attempt to humiliate him, tried to seduce Cornfield's wife and, after being turned down, went to tell Cornfield about his efforts. Cornfield told him that he was flattered." What he meant by that is his wife was worth pursuing and it looked good on him.

All in all, Marlon Brando is the reason to see The Night of the Following Day.