He Walked By Night

Year: 1948

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Werker

Review

great film noir that you don’t normally hear about. the story follows two plotlines – one is the lone criminal and the other is the police officers who are chasing him. i found myself rooting for both sides (like i did when watching “heat”) – for the criminal because he’s capable and the audience generally like capable characters, and for the cops because the criminal was a bad guy. there’s some really good cinematography in the final portion of the film wherein the criminal runs from the cops in an underground maze of sewers. the lead did a good job. overall it’s like a really good, stylized episode of dragnet or law and order. speaking of dragnet…jack webb plays a forensics detective who helps break the case.