User Reviews

(Flash Review)

The man did more than walk at night. He also shoots a police officer after being question on the street in the middle of the night. With few eye witnesses, clues are hard to come by but these resourceful detectives question others who have unresolved robberies and ask for more details in hopes of slowly piecing together of picture of the culprit. This was a quality little Film Noir with great cinematography, rich black & white film stock and an engaging story. Totally worth the time.

He Walked by Night" is a 1948 black-and-white film noir crime drama that was shot in semi-documentary style and inspired one of the film's actors, Jack Webb, to create the radio and later television program Dragnet, which the film clearly resembles. This movie seems to be ahead of its time in several ways. Unlike other crime dramas of the thirties and forties, there is a lack of hammy dialog, no girl with a heart of gold standing behind her man - either criminal or police officer, and no background information given explaining the criminal's motivation, or any of the other plot gimicks that run from the early talkie gangster films into the crime dramas of the post-war era. Also, there is no mystery for the audience to solve, as the actions of the police and the criminal are clearly shown to the audience. The only question is when and how their paths will finally cross.

Richard Basehart, who portrays criminal Roy Martin in this film, really owns the movie. He shines as a relentless sociopath whose only tender spot seems to be for his own dog. Because he doesn't associate with known criminals and lives quietly, he is exceptionally hard to track down. Basehart actually has very few lines, but he is great at expressing his state of mind through his gestures and facial expressions. The film's excellent cinematography surrounds Basehart's character with cold, deterministic pools of light and darkness so that he really does seem like some type of shadow of evil that has descended upon the city. The killer in the film was actually based on real-life criminal Erwin Walker. However, wanting to concentrate on both the crime solving techniques involved and the habits of the criminal, this interesting and lengthy backstory was omitted to keep the film tight and fast paced.

Erwin Walker was a brilliant student at the California Institute of Technology, a radio dispatcher for the police department in his native Glendale, and something of a hero as a lieutenant in charge of a radar unit on Okinawa during World War II. Walker returned from overseas duty deeply disturbed, and set out on a crime spree of more than a dozen holdups and burglaries to raise money for construction of a "death ray machine" that he thought would somehow make another war impossible. Twice Walker shot his way out of police traps, escaping through the labyrinth of storm drain pipes under Los Angeles and eventually killing a police officer. He was sentenced to death, but was later found to be insane by prison psychiatrists, and his execution was postponed indefinitely. California governor Pat Brown commuted his sentence to life in 1961, and in 1971 Walker was granted a new trial due to his original confession having been found to be coerced. Remarkably, he was acquitted at the second trial, changed his name, married, and took a job as a chemist somewhere in Southern California, never to be heard from publicly again.

Thus, just or unjust, the inspiration for this movie had quite a different outcome than the villain in the film. Of course, in 1948, nobody would have dared write such a screenplay and have expected to ever work in Hollywood again.

I had always considered Cagney's portrayal of Cody Jarrett in White Heat (1949) to be the first real off-the-wall psycho killer in a major film. But I now think that distinction should probably go to Basehart's portrayal of Erwin Walker in this movie. It's obviously a matter of opinion, but I can't think of a killer this menacing in a film prior to 1948.

"He Walked By Night" is a low budget crime drama which tells the true story of an exceptionally resourceful cop killer and the way in which he was pursued by the LAPD. The methods used by the police and the killer couldn't be more different, as the LAPD place a high value on adhering to standard procedures whereas their quarry uses his considerable ingenuity and expert knowledge of electronics to outwit his pursuers. This all makes for a fascinating cat and mouse game which is compelling to watch and becomes increasingly intense as it moves towards its exciting and visually impressive climax.

In the early hours of a summer morning, Roy Martin (Richard Basehart) is trying to break into an electronics store when he sees a police patrol car approaching and casually walks away. The police car follows him and when he's asked to produce some identification, Martin pulls out a gun and shoots the police officer at point blank range. Detective Sergeants Marty Brennan (Scott Brady) and Chuck Jones (James Cardwell) are assigned to the case by Police Captain Breen (Roy Roberts) but their initial efforts to identify the killer draw a blank because there are no leads to follow.

Martin regularly sells electronic equipment to a dealer called Paul Reeves (Whit Bissell) who becomes suspicious after one of his customers recognises a television projector (which Martin had supplied) as one that had been stolen from him. After Reeves reports the matter to the police, Brennan and Jones wait in the dealer's office with the intention of arresting Martin but his eventual arrival culminates in a shootout which ends with both Martin and Detective Jones having been shot. Jones is seriously injured and Martin goes home and successfully operates on himself to remove the bullet.

The LAPD are determined to hunt down Martin but he continues to keep one step ahead of them by regularly changing his appearance and listening in to their radio communications until Detective Jones has a hunch which enables the police to positively confirm the identity of the killer. This piece of knowledge together with information that they subsequently find about Martin's previous employment, soon enables them to continue their manhunt with greater speed and success than had previously been possible.

Roy Martin's story is told in typical docu-noir style complete with the obligatory solemn narration (by Reed Hadley) and some acting which, by today's standards, is rather stiff and formal. Richard Basehart, however, is exceptionally good in his role as the psychopathic loner and World War 11 veteran who's cold, calculating and extremely ruthless. He's a particularly interesting character as he's both intelligent and highly skilled in some areas but also paranoid and a man of few words.

It's widely acknowledged that Jack Webb (who appears in this movie as a laboratory technician) was inspired by the experience to create his own very popular radio and TV show "Dragnet" which also emphasised the value of methodical police work.

"He Walked By Night" looks very realistic and is often suspenseful but its most impressive feature is John Alton's incredible cinematography which enhances the look of the whole movie considerably and contributes to the claustrophobic feel of certain passages. His use of low key lighting, deep focus photography and interesting camera angles is inspired, effective and dramatic and at times, bathes the screen in compositions which create a rather disconcerting atmosphere.

Until the above line was muttered by a cop to Mrs. Johnson, a liquor store owner, I hadn't considered this film to be a murder mystery. Yes, Officer Rawlins died some time after being shot by Morgan/Martin (Richard Basehart), and there was that hit on Detective Chuck Jones (James Cardwell), but he lived, and it didn't seem to me that murder was the focus of the story. It had more to do it seems, with the cunning displayed by Basehart's character in pulling off small time burglaries, then graduating to armed robbery, all the while leaving no clues and eluding authority's attempt to track him down.

Nor does the film completely fill the noir definition with it's lack of a slick and dangerous femme-fatale. What it does have though for fans of these Forties era flicks, is Jack Webb in a nice warm-up for his radio and TV 'Dragnet' series, filling the role of a forensics cop who provides the first lead to Roy Martin's real identity. The neatest twist of the whole story, for me at least, was watching Martin maneuver his way around the underground LA sewer system, and pull a rifle out of a carefully selected hiding spot! Now there was a guy who did his homework.

"He Walked by Night" is one of those ubiquitous public domain titles you'll find packaged by itself or in compilations of a hundred pictures or more. It's a bit slow in spots but generally manages to hold interest and entertain in a satisfactory way. Scott Brady fans will get a kick seeing him here at the tender age of twenty four but looking considerably older. A year later, he would travel cross country as a customs agent to go up against Yul Brynner in 1949's "Port of New York".

Fascinating and insightful to read the comments posted by Sgt. Wynn's son Charles (see comment #42 by annwynn). Police technical advisers are commonplace nowadays, but Sgt. Wynn's participation was a novel idea in 1948. This straight shooting approach does nothing to diminish the compelling drama told in this story (accurate depiction of the case it's based on or not).

This film is among the best of the documentary style dramas of it's time with A-list voice over specialist Reed Hadley providing the narration. The brief travelogue guide and the tour of Los Angeles Police Headquarters in the opening segment little prepare you for the shocking murder of Officer Robert Rawlins.

As a retired police officer, I can assure you that no dispatched call creates quite the adrenalin surge than that of an officer involved shooting. Like a "Broken Arrow" transmission in the military, all cops break off their current assignment to respond, just like in the film. The film doesn't glorify the drudgery of detective work, on the contrary, it shows that only tireless followup will often lead one to their suspect.

This film is among those that piqued my interest in becoming an officer. I too commuted to work and back in uniform (to avoid dressing twice everyday) but Officer Rawlins' ambush was always in the back of my mind and I employed tactics accordingly (always address suspects or suspicious persons from outside your vehicle for instance).

It is a bygone era when it was cooler to be a cop than a criminal. Modern films glorify acts of mindless violence and copycat crimes are commonplace. He Walked By Night not only shows the gritty side of policing, it rightly shows that the job can not be done without the help of citizen involvement. If only all sketch artists were as handy with their pencils as Jack Webb/Lee is with his slides. There is little doubt that the use of deadly force in the capture of Roy Morgan is justified and there is no glamour or glory in his death.

Two bits of humor in the closing sequence are the apparent length of the battle lantern's cords as they stretch the length of the sewer system and speed in which the detectives/officers don their gas masks before the final confrontation.

He Walked By Night to me remains the definitive model upon which all other such police dramas are inspired. Alfred Werker's pacing and John Alton's cinematography are flawless. I think this film is a fitting tribute to Sgt. Marty Wynn and all the cops of his era. I recommend it to everyone.

This black and white and fuzzy gray Film Noir is primarily a dark drama based on a 'true story' from the L.A. police files. This surely was the template for TV's DRAGNET considering one of the minor stars is the one and only Jack Webb, who plays a forerunner forensic lab tech. A war hero Roy Martin/Roy Morgan(Richard Basehart)turns burglar and cop killer. Being an expert with electronics, Roy is lured into a planned ambush at the electrical shop where he leaves his adaptive creations on consignment. Police work is still primitive at best and Roy manages to temporarily elude the cops. This story is presented in a documentary style with intrigue building to the clever finale. Basehart plays it cool, confident and heartless. Helping Webb round out the cast are other screen veterans: Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell and Scott Brady.

As the story begins, a policeman on his way home sees a man lurking in the darkness, he becomes suspicious. To his amazement, the man surprises him pulling a gun and shoots him. The incident marks the beginning of a dragnet in which all police resources will concentrate in apprehending the criminal that killed one of their peers.

Roy Martin, as he calls himself, is a young man with an unusual ability for everything electric. He likes to put things together, then tries to interest Paul Reeves, a businessman with an important clientele to lease the things Martin brings him. All goes well until the time he makes a tactical mistake. He leaves an equipment for television that turns out to have been stolen from the same man that Reeves has called to peddle the item.

What the LAPD doesn't know is that Roy Martin has a way for evading the enemy. He has discovered the system under the Los Angeles streets for the heavy flash floods it experiences to make his getaway. He is a slippery man with superior intelligence to outsmart the police. Ultimately, the police gets a break that will put an end to Roy's crime spree.

Albert Werker directed the impressive "He Walked by Night", a 1948 film noir that went to be imitated by a lot of people in Hollywood. It also became the model of the television show "Dragnet" that came later, in which Jack Webb, who is prominently featured, explored some of the principles originated in the breakthrough film. Anthony Mann was also on board to help with the direction, and it shows, although he is not given credit for the work he did. Crane Wilbur and John Higgins wrote the screenplay in a semi-documentary style. It is a tribute to all the creators the film has survived long after it was first released. The best thing in the film is John Alton's black and white cinematography that captures the Los Angeles of that era in all its splendor.

Richard Basehart made a cool Roy Martin. This was Mr. Basehart's third picture and he showed a great potential as the criminal that was able to outsmart the police. The supporting players, Scott Brady, Whit Bissell, James Cardwell, and Roy Roberts, among them, do a good job under Mr. Werker's direction.