The Night Visitor (1971)

A man (Max Von Sydow) confined to an asylum for the insane for the axe murder of a drunk cleverly discovers a way to sneak out of the asylum during the night. His plan is to get revenge on the people who sent him there. Is he an insane killer? Or an innocent man framed? Or perhaps ... both? This little seen psychological thriller is almost too clever for its own good. It's effective, there's no denying that, but the minute details tend to slow the film down a bit when it needs to keep us on edge. There's certainly a lot of talent involved. The director is Laslo Benedek (who directed Brando in THE WILD ONE), the evocative score is by Henry Mancini and in addition to Von Sydow, the cast includes Liv Ullmann, Trevor Howard and Per Oscarsson. Ullmann, usually the most vulnerable and open of actresses, gets to play against type as a selfish, cold and manipulative, tight faced liar. The atmospheric cinematography (filmed on location in Denmark) is by Henning Kristiansen (BABETTE'S FEAST). With Andrew Keir and Rupert Davies.