He Walked by Night
He Walked by Night
NR | 06 February 1949 (USA)
He Walked by Night Trailers

This film-noir piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for a resourceful criminal who shoots and kills a cop.

Reviews
Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie
Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
johnnydogg The lead actor is good but other than that I was quickly falling asleep. I watched it after reading all the great reviews on imdb. This is the 3rd movie I've watched after reading great reviews on imdb and they've all been stinkers. I've come to realize reviewers on imdb are classic movie groupies and will give anything old a great review. This movie is a dog.
Myriam Nys Black-and-white police procedural about the hunt for a callous criminal who has shot and killed a police officer. This is not a bad movie, but it lacks something - some spark of life, of wit, of imagination. Most of the characters are so bland and generic that they might be replaced with houseplants, which means that the actors were saddled with a thankless job. About the only character that has been developed with some depth and care is the cold-hearted man-who-walks-by-night, and even there the viewer is left guessing as to his essential drives and motivations. It is much to the credit of actor Richard Basehart, that he still succeeds in putting some meat on these meagre bones. After a slow beginning, the movie gains speed and tension in the second half. The finale boasts a suspenseful, marvelously filmed pursuit through a system of storm drains, which, who knows, may have served as an inspiration for the sewer scenes in the vastly superior "The third man". (Lovers of crime thrillers and of the "noir" genre may want to organise a happy, pop-corn filled evening comparing and contrasting both movies.) I for one enjoyed "He walked" mainly for its time capsule feel and for its many images of Los Angeles, that most fascinating of cities, shortly after World War II.
gavin6942 This film-noir piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for a resourceful criminal who shoots and kills a cop.What makes this film interesting: During production, one of the actors, Jack Webb, struck up a friendship with the police technical adviser, Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn, and was inspired by a conversation with Wynn to create the radio and later television program "Dragnet".But also, this is the fictional version of a true story that is not well-remembered today. A Los Angeles police officer went on a crime spree, and had some bizarre ideas about war and death rays. The film is rather tame in comparison.
AaronCapenBanner Alfred L. Werker & Anthony Mann co-directed this realistic semi-documentary thriller that stars Richard Basehart as cunning but disturbed electronics expert Roy Martin, who becomes a wanted killer after shooting a policeman who was getting too close to identifying him after a robbery. He proves to be most resourceful and mysterious, though is identified by eyewitness testimony, mainly an electronics dealer(played by Whit Bissell) who becomes a reluctant police witness, who eventually track him down into his lair in the L.A. underground sewer and drain system of canals and tunnels, leading to a final confrontation... Exciting and compelling film with good performances and direction, even though the killer remains an enigma.