He Walked by Night

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Graham M Tense and exciting, this is wonderfully entertaining. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/22/24 Full Review Ken R It's good to see this film now getting the attention it has always deserved. For those who understand filmmaking as an art and appreciate the care some would take to create early mini-masterpieces, this is a must-see. As it was made by a smaller production company (Eagle Lion) that specialized in high-quality entertainment produced on lower budgets, the stars, while fully competent, were not of the well known caliber of the major studios – still, with the creativity and passion of talented film makers they produced several critically acclaimed minor classics. But those weaned on glossy consumer movies may not completely appreciate the full professional impact they achieved. Great visuals, direction, and performances combine to make this one ‘special' of its genre. While not as well known as he should be, Richard Basehart's chilling portrayal of an unknown ‘strangely mannered' con-man/come ruthless killer is as professional as it gets. He is supported by a cast of professional performers of the day --who bring to life a group of pioneering CSI investigators-- giving this the style of a factual police file examination (based on a real-life crime). Character actor Whit Bissell truly exudes nervous fear when dealing with this eerie con man. All the intensity and planed attempts to identify and capture this ‘phantom' criminal are strikingly captured by director Alfred L. Werker (Lost Boundaries '49), working with first-class director of photography John Alton (Elmer Gantry '60) and beautifully utilizing classic moody noir lighting. The chase through the sewer makes for compelling filmmaking (and may even have inspired Carol Read a year later for "The Third Man"...?) This comes highly recommended for serious movie connoisseurs. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/06/24 Full Review paul d This is a very good film noir police drama. The cinematography is gorgeous. There is a great cast of character actors chasing the very effective, inventive criminal. He is played as an introverted pretty-boy by Richard Basehart, who is outstanding. The film is economical, not wasting any time to establish the criminal's motives, but the protagonist's character and style come through loud and clear, and they are frightening. It slows down a bit during its "CSI" style moments, but is mesmerizing whenever Basehart is on screen. This was made in 1948, one year before Carol Reed's magnificent The Third Man. Any chance that the sewer scenes in that film were inspired by those in He Walked By Night? Any film historians out there know the answer? Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review deke p Starring Richard Basehart! 1948! Very interesting thriller. & JACK WEBB!,, Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Frances H Interesting early film starring a young Richard Basehart and a young Jack Webb, who would use it as the form for his later TV series Dragnet, a term used in the early part of the film about 10 times. The chase scene is the storm drains is pretty cool. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/08/20 Full Review Audience Member nothing to push it into 5-star territory, but well done minute-to-minute. i like the documentary aspect, and liked whit bissel. otoh, a lack of intensity throughout. but the criminal has a doggie. NB the word "dragnet" is spoken within a minute of Webb's appearance. and what's with that bracelet on his right wrist? Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews

He Walked by Night

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