Long Day's Journey Into Night Movie Review

Thanks to her natural trembling, Katharine Hepburn makes for a truly amazing drug addict, in this harrowing and devastation Sidney Lumet film, adapted from Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical story of his turbulent (to put it mildly) home life. In a nutshell: It's one horrific night when all sorts of dirt is dished: From mom's morphine addiction and resentment of son Edmund (Dean Stockwell) over the death of her third-born, to dad's (Ralph Richardson) alcoholism and distaste for mom, to more sibling rivalry from firstborn Jamie (Jason Robards).

This isn't just a platform for Hepburn to show off; all of the players are top form. It's hard to pick a favorite, but Robards shows, early in his career, how commanding a screen presence he would grow up to be. Sure, the movie is three long hours, and it really wears you down in the end. But that's just O'Neill's parlor trick. By the end of this, you're part of the family. Welcome to hell.