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Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jack Weston ... see more see more... , Samantha Jones , Julie Herrod , Frank O'Brien , Gary Morgan , Jean Del Val

Wait Until Dark is an innovative, highly entertaining and suspenseful thriller about a blind housewife, Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn). Independent and resourceful, Susy is learning to cope with her bl... read more read more...indness, which resulted from a recent accident. She is aided by her difficult, slightly unreliable young neighbor Gloria (Julie Herrod) with whom she has an exasperated but lovingly maternal relationship. Susy's life is changed as she is terrorized by a group of criminals who believe she has hidden a baby doll used by them to smuggle heroin into the country. Unknown to Susy, her photographer husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) took the doll as a favor for a woman he met on an international plane flight and unwittingly brought the doll to the couple's New York apartment when the woman became afraid of the customs officials. Alone in her apartment and cut-off from the outside world, Susy must fight for her life against a gang of ruthless criminals, led by the violent, psychotic Roat (Alan Arkin). The tension builds as Roat, aided by his gang, impersonates police officers and friends of her husband in order to win Susy's confidence, gaining access to her apartment to look for the doll. The climax of the film, a violent physical confrontation between Susie and Roat in her dark kitchen, is one of the most memorable and frightening scenes in screen history. All performances are outstanding, particularly those of Audrey Hepburn who plays a vulnerable, but self-reliant woman, and Alan Arkin, in perhaps his best role, as the ruthless, manipulative Roat. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

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89% liked it

15,824 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

18 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: No information available.

Release Date: October 26, 1967

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DVD Release Date: August 5, 2003

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Stats: 1,267 reviews

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Poster Jack Weston and Alan Arkin Wait Until Dark Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark Wait Until Dark Audrey Hepburn and Richard Crenna Wait Until Dark Wait Until Dark Audrey Hepburn and Efrem Zimbalist Wait Until Dark Wait Until Dark Alan Arkin & Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark Poster Poster Poster Wait Until Dark Audrey Hepburn and Richard Crenna Poster
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Flixster Reviews (1,267)

  • ajv2688
    December 10, 2010
    ajv2688
    Great movie, it's such a unique thriller, and it's got a good cast. I was really amazed with Hepburn's performance in this movie. If you like a good thriller, look no further.
  • mjgildea
    October 12, 2010
    mjgildea
    Audrey Hepburn plays a blind version of her usual lovable self as she's getting bamboozled by a bunch of con men in search of a heroin-filled doll. When they realize she's not that helpless and grossly underestimate her, things get ugly. As always, Hepburn is charming but almost ... read morehas the show stolen from her by Alan Arkin while Richard Crenna and Jack Weston try and keep up. Terence Young's (early Bond director) direction is pretty tight and despite the claustrophobia a movie based on a play imposes, he pulls the whole thing off pretty well. Henry Mancini's score was pretty cool too even if if seemed to be trying a little too hard. I kind of wish I'd seen this sooner but it doesn't quite make my kick in the ass list. Great stuff nonetheless...
  • purplemegan
    April 4, 2010
    purplemegan
    I watched this because I had seen the play and I was interested to check out the film version. It was definitely just as awesome as the play was.
  • flixsterman
    March 26, 2010
    flixsterman
    A thriller that's withstood forty-something years remarkably well.
  • RCCLBC
    October 5, 2009
    RCCLBC
    All things considered, a really well done and engrossing film for it's time.

    The plot line is overly complicated for it's own good, but the trick here is NOT to over analyze it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

    The cast is solid and everyone does a good (if not a bit ha... read moremmy at times) job in their roles.

    Lot's of fun and creative ideas come into play which have (over the years) been borrowed from in other films.

    I really good "old fashioned" thriller.
  • romy861
    September 28, 2009
    romy861
    I have never quite "gotten" the whole thing with Audrey Hepburn. I have never thought she was all that attractive or especially good as an actress. Here I found her okay, although a bit annoying, but the actual movie is really good. Great suspense thriller which kept me intere... read morested all the way through.. Alan Arkin is excellent in it and also the young actress who plays Gloria.
  • thefog1331
    August 24, 2009
    thefog1331
    For a 1960's film it not only works well it is actually still suspenseful.
    Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin turn out some wonderful performances, Richard Crenna makes for a likeable bad guy and the plot unfolds at a nice pace. A highly recommended top notch old school thriller.
  • creepfreak
    December 14, 2008
    creepfreak
    A non-stop suspenseful tour de force. Once Wait Until Dark starts with the thrills it never lets up. I hope you're not a nail bitter, cause if so, after watching this one you won't have any nails left! It's hair-raising and it's sensational. Audrey Hepburn is truly nothing short ... read moreof amazing. This is an outstanding, flawless, and chilling classic film.

    "Audrey Hepburn is Susy Hendrix, a young blind woman living in a New York brownstone with her photographer husband, Sam. Pushed by Sam and herself to be "the world's champion blind lady," Susy is thrown a challenge when a trio of criminals discovers a child's doll filled with heroin has mysteriously found itself inside her apartment. Through multiple disguises and characters, the three baddies move in for the kill...until Susy, with the aid of young neighbor Gloria, discover their plot and are left on their own to fend for themselves."

    "Where is it? Where is it? OH GOD!"

    "WAIT UNTIL DARK is one of the most memorable film thrillers you could ever see. The story's complexity, the subtle direction and superlative acting all combine to put nearly every suspense film to come after it to shame. It's truly a film experience, but you'd better put your lights on."
    - Monsters At Play

    "A chilling film, even by today's standards."
    - At-A-Glance Film Reviews

    "Darkness might never be the same after you watch this film. How about that?!"
    - Movie Freak

    "Combine great performances, a smart script with intelligent character work, strong direction and a great score by Henry Mancini and you get one of the best suspense films ever put out."
    - Ain't It Cool News

    "This is a taut, intelligent, creepy thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat with it's visual style and well-written plot."
    - Crazy for Cinema

    "Watch it with someone who likes to scream!"
    - Slant Magazine

    In "The Book of Lists: Horror", the climactic heart-stopping confrontation between Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin is #1 on Stephen King's list.
  • deano
    November 17, 2008
    deano
    This is the screen's most memorable thrillers. Alan Arkin's especially frightened as the psychotic gang's mastermind who alternates between moments of deceptive charm and sudden violence in this attempt to separate Audrey Hepburn from the doll.
  • moonrivers
    April 26, 2008
    moonrivers
    hey! the bad guys take a nod from the coppers and use "good"bad guy, "bad" bad guy to put the squeeze on poor lil blind as a bat (is it politically correct to say that?) audrey, only she got her own ideers! very tense, very nerve-wracking...you've been warned.

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Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
February 27, 2012
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Nail-biting until the end. Full Review

Urban Cinefile Critics
April 11, 2008
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

This superb drama filled with spell-binding tension has not lost an iota of its considerable impact, even 40 years after it was made. Audrey Hepburn is mesmerising as the blind woman whose quick think... Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 6, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Audrey Hepburn received her fifth (and last) Oscar nomination for effectively playing a blind woman in this well-executed thriller based on the Broadway smash hit; equally good are the villains, playe... Full Review

Pablo Villaca
November 21, 2006
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Os furos óbvios do roteiro acabam sendo compensados pela direção tensa de Young, pela eficiente montagem e, principalmente, pelas atuações de todo o elenco (mas Hepburn e Arkin merecem destaque).

Cole Smithey
October 25, 2006
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

A classic and unforgettable thriller.

Ken Hanke
July 8, 2004
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Superior thriller with one dynamite shock scene.

Eric Henderson
August 11, 2003
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

Wait Until Dark, Frederick Knott's gimmicky stage play about a blind woman terrorized by crooks, was brought to the screen in 1967 and was accompanied by an even more outlandish gimmick. Full Review

James Kendrick
February 27, 2001
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

a perfect example of how mood, atmosphere, music, and direction can overcome plot weaknesses Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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    • Roat: [paraphrased] No discipline... Bad news... Leads to anarchy.
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Wait Until Dark Trivia

  • Which actress played in "Wait Until Dark"?  Answer »
  • Who starred as the blind woman in the movie 'Wait Until Dark'?  Answer »
  • In what movie did Audrey Hepburn play a blind woman?  Answer »
  • Which 1960's thriller starred Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman?  Answer »
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