Fly-By-Night

1942
Fly-By-Night
6.5| 1h14m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 19 January 1942 Released
Producted By: Paramount
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Young intern Jeff Burton, impulsively offers a lift to an odd-looking gentlemen. It soon turns out that Jeff's passenger is an inventor has just escaped from a shady sanitarium, where he has been held prisoner by Nazi spies.

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Alex da Silva Young Doctor Richard Carlson (Geoffrey) is hijacked by an escapee from a mental hospital who hands him over a formula/plans for G-32. What is G-32? We found out in the end after an outrageous series of escapades.The film keeps you watching with Nancy Kelly (Pat) excelling in her role as the pounced-upon innocent who is dragged into proceedings by Carlson. Mind you, Carlson is only reacting to circumstances that he is put into. The film suffers from too much comedy that isn't funny and ludicrous situations that defy belief. It's a watch-able film but things could have been better.There are scenes that stand out such as the episode on the car-carrying lorry and the ending when the G-32 secret is revealed. However, set against this are idiot policemen, slapstick (yawn) and some try-hard comedy sequences that don't quite work.Next time you smoke a cigarette in a car and flick the butt out of the window make sure it actually goes out of the window. That should be standard practise – obviously not for some a-holes like Richard Carlson.
secragt It's getting to the point where I've seen most major (and readily available) noirs so I'm going back and mining the next layer of the batcave, seeking out hidden gems less well known. Fly-By-Night is a good example: a little-seen crime drama that might deserve another look. Is it a classic? Hell no. Does the plot hold together? Just barely. Is it entertaining and enjoyable? Thoroughly. Does it deserve consideration by noirists looking for something different? Surely.Clearly influenced by the then-popular Hitchcock themes of "wrong man, wrong place" and "man on lam gets involved with gal and hatred / mistrust is ultimately replaced by love," FLY BY NIGHT struggles with logic but finds other virtues to cover motivational issues and credibility. In particular, the murder of the man accompanying the lead into the apartment is beyond preposterous, as is the doctor's (and police's) reaction to what follows. Fortunately, the film's breezy matter-of-fact approach to the ridiculous set-up keeps things moving and we slowly find ourselves involved in a compelling mystery despite the insanity of how things begin.From there the movie takes interesting, unexpected turns and against odds often balances comedy and drama more effectively than a movie this obscure ought to. A surprising twist at the end tops things off and makes this an unexpectedly fun, if implausible, outing. Siodmak is to be commended for cobbling together a nice movie from some pieces that might not have looked as promising on paper. Doesn't hold up under close scrutiny, but this is quite fun and has some different angles than your garden variety noir.
spiderlegs Saw it when I was in high school and enjoyed the auto driving backwards off the auto-carrier. Am looking for a VHS or DVD copy. Any suggestions. I found out later that this picture was Nancy Kelly's first picture for Paramount. Also believe that Ms Kelly displayed her nice legs at least 2 times ,with Richard Carlson covering them up by pulling down her skirt, as she was lying ,havng fainted, on a couch. I think , if I remember correctly, that Richard Carlson, was a innocent man that got involved and could not help himself. Even though it was ab picture, the director gave it plenty of suspense and action. The best naturally, was the great ending. Naturally , it was a long time ago , but it made quite an impression on me,especially since it was during the War. As I said before , I would be happy to find even a good copy of this film.
barron-6 Above-average Paramount "B" thriller from director Robert Siodmak. A few surprises (including an imaginative action sequence and a jolting revelation during a climatic confrontation) elevate a standard falsely-accused-man-on-the-lam plot. Well-paced and atmospheric.