He Walked by Night (1948)

Killer Ending, Sleepy Shift - He Walked by Night review by griggs

For a film about a killer on the loose, this one feels oddly like homework. Most of He Walked by Night plays out as a straight police procedural, complete with plodding voiceover that explains every move as if you’re watching a training film. The detectives blur together, the dialogue is dry, and for long stretches the tension is more theoretical than theatrical.

What kept me awake was John Alton. His cinematography turns this civic lecture into a series of shadow plays: light rippling on ceilings, reflections on water, a gunshot registered in the way darkness jumps rather than in any flashy staging. Richard Basehart’s fugitive only really comes alive once he’s being hunted.

Then you get to the Los Angeles storm-drain climax and suddenly it’s electric – a stark, almost abstract labyrinth that feels decades ahead of its time. Those final minutes are terrific; it’s just a shame they’re stuck onto such a dutiful trudge.

Documentary Noir. - He Walked by Night review by Steve

Thrilling police procedural about a real life murderer/armed robber who operated in Los Angeles in the mid '40s. And it's surprisingly faithful to the actual events. Richard Basehart gives a convincing performance as the cop killer who returned from WWII a resentful loner and becomes a resourceful and determined criminal.

It's typical of the docudramas popular in this period, with the stentorious narration and extensive location shoot. Cinematography was by noir legend John Alton- the prince of darkness- and there are some artistic interiors, but documentary realism for the street scenes. The portrayal of LA is one of its big strengths.

There's an exciting climax in the city's storm drains, a year ahead of The Third Man. It is presented as a disclosure of authentic police methods. Jack Webb has a decent support role as a forensics lab nerd and he used this approach as a template for his hugely successful radio/tv crime series, Dragnet.

This isn't merely still watchable for its period realism and nostalgia for boxy technology. It's a really suspenseful thriller from start to finish as the cops close in on the dangerous quarry. Credited director Alfred Werker was a journeyman, but Anthony Mann took over mid shoot and this looks like his work. It's among the best postwar docu-noirs.