Rating: 
Summary: A BLEAK, DEPRESSING NOIR...HURRAY!
Review: "He Walked By Night" is a fine noir that deserves more attention. There is no femme fatale and the the procedural scenes with the cops bog it down a bit, but, the tragic relationship between sociopath Roy and put-upon pantywaist Reeves is facinating. Oh, yes...the film is lit (or rather, un-lit) by a fellow named John Alton who just happens to be the Babe Ruth of noir cinamatographers. There are certain images and angles in this film that will stay with you a long, long time. Also affecting is the rapport Roy has with his little doggie. It is only at these moments that we see that there is human under the killer's visage and it is an touching thing to witness, making it that much more sad when...oops. See the movie.
Rating:
Summary: 'Based on a true story...'
Review: ... with only the names changed to protect the innocent'...does this sound familiar? Some have likened He Walked by Night (1948) to the 50's television series Dragnet, and there are some similarities (one of the biggest being both feature Jack Webb), but this film differs from that popular series in that the focus is one the story, with emphasis placed both on the detective work and the elusive criminal, generally featuring the criminal more prominently, while Dragnet tended to deal more with the character of Joe Friday, with his no nonsense demeanor, and his partner, cracking whatever case may lay before them for that week, in my opinion. I've read that a police department advisor to this film actually suggested to Webb (who had a detective radio show at the time) that he do a radio series based on actual police files, and from this came the idea for Dragnet, which eventually evolved into the television series.
Directed by Alfred L. Werker (apparently Anthony Mann, a name known to noir fans, directed a good part of this film, uncredited), the film stars Richard Basehart, who played Ishmael to Gregory Peck's Captain Ahab in the 1956 version of Moby Dick, but is probably most well known for his vast television credentials spanning the late 50's up until the early 80's prior to his death in 1984 of a stroke (a few of the, in fact). Also appearing is Scott Brady (The Law vs. Billy the Kid), Roy Roberts (Chinatown), Whit Bissell (Target Earth), James Cardwell (The Return of the Whistler), and, as I mentioned before, Jack Webb (Dragnet).
The film starts off with the slaying of a police officer as he stopped on his way home late one night to investigate a suspicious looking character (Basehart) trying to gain entry into an electronics store. After a confrontation, the police begin an extensive manhunt for the would be thief, now killer (the police get really rattled when one of their own gets killed, I figure as if you're nutty or desperate enough to kill a cop, you'd probably do just about anything). Anyway, the descriptions of the killer are vague at best, and the police (after drudging up every ne'er-do-well they can lay hands on) find the killer is no ordinary criminal, but a very intelligent, wily fellow who is a master at covering his tracks, among other things. The initial investigation turns up bupkiss, forcing the authorities to work over again and again whatever small clues they have, and to also develop different methods for locating this calculating character. After exhaustively following up new leads uncovered by some rather ingenious investigation, the killer's trail begins to grow warm again, and soon they're hot on his heels, but he won't be taken easily, as he's still has a few tricks up his sleeve. It's a deadly game of cat and mouse (although sometimes, I wondered who was the cat, and who was the mouse?).
One aspect I found interesting about this movie was that it tended to shy away from focusing too much on the characters, but more on the story itself. After the initial crime, a lot of time is spent on detailing the efforts of the long, and sometimes tedious, investigation by the police, with plenty of ominous voice over providing expository information for the viewer. We see that police work is comprised of not of lucky guesswork, but thorough, investigative, sometimes inventive (look for the scene where the witnesses are called upon to provide a composite of the individual believed to have committed a number of crimes) techniques used in the identification and locating processes. We also get a look into the inner workings of a meticulous, intelligent criminal, his means and methods for always managing to stay one step ahead of the authorities (I especially enjoyed the scene where he had to operate on himself, removing a slug from his side after a close call with the police...one thing about the criminal world, adequate healthcare can be difficult to obtain, especially when dealing with gunshot wounds, as nosey hospitals are prone to ask way too many questions). I will say this...that Richard Basehart was certainly more spry at the age of 34 (that's how old he was when he appeared here) than I am, running his behind off and flinging himself down sewer drains (he used the large and expansive Los Angeles sewer system as a means to travel). I thought all the actors did a fine job, making their appearances blend in nicely as not to overshadow the main element, that being the actual story, as I think was the intent. Basehart provides a wonderful performance as the emotionless, shadowy, hard to finger criminal baffling the police at nearly ever turn. Jack Webb does appear briefly, as a forensic scientist, offering information he obtained from weapons and equipment confiscated from the criminal car, as he had to leave it behind during an escape. The film is listed in the `noir' genre, and there are some techniques indicative of that genre utilized throughout, but it seems more than what it is, as the movie plays more like a brooding documentary, relating actual events, rather than developing a fictitious story with hard-boiled characters, although I will say the ending is certainly in line with what one would expect within the genre-a stark, cold, unrepentant, finale, highlighting superior cinematic techniques, excellent lighting, and recognizable L.A. locations used throughout the film.
The full screen (original aspect ratio) picture provided by MGM on this DVD looks amazing, and the audio is very sharp (the echoing footsteps in sewer scenes sound wonderful and create a real level of suspense suitable for the climatic ending). There are chapter stops and English subtitles, but no special features available, which didn't bother me, given the excellent quality of the transfer and of the film itself. Worth looking into if you like solid, entertaining crime dramas.
Cookieman108
Rating:
Summary: undeserved obscurity
Review: A quite intense low-budget noir "docudrama", distinguished by Basehart's surprisingly perverse, desperate performance. And one great shock: a fugitive-in-the-sewers sequence that Carol Reed seems to have lifted totally the next year for "The Third Man". Shame on him!
Rating: 
Summary: Storm Drain Troopers
Review: He Walked by Night is okay, but it isn't classic film noir.If you want to see how Jack Webb's TV show Dragnet developed its style, this police procedural is the blueprint. Oddly (considering his wooden TV acting), here Jack Webb plays the most interesting cop. Webb is a CSI-type, spending his time in the laboratory comparing bullet striations and playing with explosives. The tough-guy detectives make fun of his soft-spoken manner. He lets the neanderthals mock him because he knows he's smarter than they are. Except for Richard Basehart's insane killer techno-wizard, the acting is mediocre. You see a couple of the character actors who became regulars in Webb's repertory company for Dragnet. When a cop is killed, the LAPD rounds up every male alone on the the streets. They roust men out of hotels and arrest everyone who looks suspicious. They handcuff all the scum together and drag them downtown. But they don't get the guy who actually killed the cop because he's a good-looking young white war veteran and doesn't resemble the types they instinctively go after. As the narrator speaking to us from 1948 describes how the police go about rounding up all these lowlifes, he assumes we won't worry about any rights of theirs that are being violated. After all, it's only been seven years since Japanese-Americans were rounded up and put in camps. When the cops try to interrogate an old Chinese man dressed like he walked in from a Fu Manchu movie, they can't hide their exasperation at his speaking his own language. I expected there to be more to Richard Basehart's character. When the police first discover his scientific equipment and weapons, it looks like he's been planning something big, but nothing ever comes of it. We never find out why someone so intelligent became a thief and killer. Because he uses the sewers under Los Angeles to avoid the police, I expected one (admittedly overdramatic) ending, but the police just track him down. The ending is flat. You don't feel that justice is served, or order restored.
Rating:
Summary: Storm Drain Troopers
Review: He Walked by Night is okay, but it isn't classic film noir. If you want to see how Jack Webb's TV show Dragnet developed its style, this police procedural is the blueprint. Oddly (considering his wooden TV acting), here Jack Webb plays the most interesting cop. Webb is a CSI-type, spending his time in the laboratory comparing bullet striations and playing with explosives. The tough-guy detectives make fun of his soft-spoken manner. He lets the neanderthals mock him because he knows he's smarter than they are. Except for Richard Basehart's insane killer techno-wizard, the acting is mediocre. You see a couple of the character actors who became regulars in Webb's repertory company for Dragnet. When a cop is killed, the LAPD rounds up every male alone on the the streets. They roust men out of hotels and arrest everyone who looks suspicious. They handcuff all the scum together and drag them downtown. But they don't get the guy who actually killed the cop because he's a good-looking young white war veteran and doesn't resemble the types they instinctively go after. As the narrator speaking to us from 1948 describes how the police go about rounding up all these lowlifes, he assumes we won't worry about any rights of theirs that are being violated. After all, it's only been seven years since Japanese-Americans were rounded up and put in camps. When the cops try to interrogate an old Chinese man dressed like he walked in from a Fu Manchu movie, they can't hide their exasperation at his speaking his own language. I expected there to be more to Richard Basehart's character. When the police first discover his scientific equipment and weapons, it looks like he's been planning something big, but nothing ever comes of it. We never find out why someone so intelligent became a thief and killer. Because he uses the sewers under Los Angeles to avoid the police, I expected one (admittedly overdramatic) ending, but the police just track him down. The ending is flat. You don't feel that justice is served, or order restored.
Rating: 
Summary: just a notch below DOUBLE INDEMNITY . . .
Review: I haven't found a film to take its place yet in five years. . . Noir/mystery fans, don't miss this. Never mind that it's 'only a true story,' and it's only 80 minutes long. It might as well be two hours long, considering the thrills it gives you. Tragic elements keep me from recommending this right away for noir fans and mystery buffs. I usually run the list thus: Double Indemnity, Gaslight, Mildred Pierce, Scarlet Street, The Red House (so few film rentals have the Red House!),Sorry Wrong Number. However, if I'm in a risky mood, I'll recommend He Walked By Night. Unforgettable.
Rating:
Summary: MGM digs up gold!
Review: I think mostly everything that needs to be said about this particular film noir classic has been said before, in other previous reviews. I am adding to the review selection only to tell film buffs that the MGM released DVD of Dec.2nd 2003, is absolutely superior to any previous DVD release for this film. Apparently MGM had the original negative, or at least a top notch print the whole time. For a 55 year old film, this DVD release is excellent, and at a great price. Throw the Alpha, or the Film Noir Of Anthony Mann version to the side. This is the real deal! Great film noir, and a great quality dvd to boot. No extras, but a nice black and white print at a bargain price.
Rating:
Summary: Often misunderstood.
Review: In response to Jammmer's (from Wyoming) review, let me begin by saying that the prerequisite for liking this movie has nothing to do with "Dragnet." I've seen many, many episodes of "Dragnet," and except for the presence of Jack Webb and a similar overall format, this movie is very little like "Dragnet" (and I doubt that Jammmer has even seen an "original" "Dragnet" episode). I addition, the cops in this movie are not portrayed as "wonder-boy saints." They are portrayed as regular human beings who make mistakes and even get killed (or seriously injured) on the job. This was done to rebel against the super-hero image that cops had been given in Hollywood for a long time, and I'm surprised that such an apparent "expert" in classic films like Jammmer couldn't figure that out. Along these lines, the acting was kept restrained to give the police a less glamorous image, but what I'd like to know is how people like Jammmer expect cops on the job to act. Should they tell some jokes, shed a tear, or chase a dame while they are on a routine job? Look at everyday people's faces while they are working and that is what you are supposed to see on the cops in this movie. In addition, this movie is a semi-documentary that is supposed to illustrate a real crime scene. When police go after crooks, they do not immediately know the crooks' motives, or other things that Jammmer wishes this movie would illustrate. Jammmer's comments and others like it simply prove that many people cannot grasp the original concept of this movie. But I can and the movie pulls it off excellently.
Rating:
Summary: Often misunderstood.
Review: In response to Jammmer's (from Wyoming) review, let me begin by saying that the prerequisite for liking this movie has nothing to do with "Dragnet." I've seen many, many episodes of "Dragnet," and except for the presence of Jack Webb and a similar overall format, this movie is very little like "Dragnet" (and I doubt that Jammmer has even seen an "original" "Dragnet" episode). I addition, the cops in this movie are not portrayed as "wonder-boy saints." They are portrayed as regular human beings who make mistakes and even get killed (or seriously injured) on the job. This was done to rebel against the super-hero image that cops had been given in Hollywood for a long time, and I'm surprised that such an apparent "expert" in classic films like Jammmer couldn't figure that out. Along these lines, the acting was kept restrained to give the police a less glamorous image, but what I'd like to know is how people like Jammmer expect cops on the job to act. Should they tell some jokes, shed a tear, or chase a dame while they are on a routine job? Look at everyday people's faces while they are working and that is what you are supposed to see on the cops in this movie. In addition, this movie is a semi-documentary that is supposed to illustrate a real crime scene. When police go after crooks, they do not immediately know the crooks' motives, or other things that Jammmer wishes this movie would illustrate. Jammmer's comments and others like it simply prove that many people cannot grasp the original concept of this movie. But I can and the movie pulls it off excellently.
Rating: 
Summary: very intreging.
Review: it holds my interest to the utmost
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