clanciai A very intriguing thriller built on the best possible foundation of a true story. Richard Baseheart is always an interesting actor specializing in odd roles, such as The Fool in Fellini's "La strada", and he adds an extra whiff of interest by deeply sympathetic originality to his roles, and this is one of his best - a total outsider who stalks his own life in darkness without scruples, turning into a very cold-blooded and technically advanced murderer, giving the police a hard time to even get him defined.In addition the film is carefully built up with architectural finesse, as the tension never relaxes but constantly is augmented, leading to a towering finale of suspense in the tunnels. Yes, this points forward to "The Third Man", and the question is if Carol Reed saw this film first. If he did, "The Third Man" makes it even better.It is very dark, a truly noir film at its best, I had no expectations seeing it but was deeply impressed, especially by Richard Baseheart's extremely unpleasant but at the same time very tragic role amounting to greatness.

Lechuguilla Complete with V.O. narrative, this Dragnet-style police procedural describes the pursuit of a killer, and is based on the real-life crime spree of Erwin Walker (played by Richard Basehart). The story is set in Los Angeles in the late 1940s.This is not a whodunit. We see the killer's face early in the film. The plot is more of a cat-and-mouse game between the cops and the criminal, with the criminal usually two steps ahead of the cops. Midway through, this cat-and-mouse game plays out nicely in night scenes with minimal dialogue. Roughly two-thirds of the plot involves police making efforts to find the guy; the other third involves the criminal in his activities and his attempts to evade capture. One thing that detracts from the story is that although this criminal was a killer, most of the crimes recounted in the plot involve robbery and burglary, and that renders the story less intense."He Walked By Night" is one of the first, if not the first, films to use composite drawings as a procedure to identify the perp. The film also has the distinction of being the production that led to the Jack Webb TV series "Dragnet" in the 1950s. Webb plays a small part in this film as a lab technician.Lots of shadows and stark B&W lighting yield interesting noir visuals. But the film stock is poor. Best visuals occur toward the end where the plot is set in a series of underground storm drains. The visual effects of flashlights, together with echoes in these cavernous tunnels, render some of the most evocative scenes in the film.Music is intermittent and nondescript. Acting is acceptable. The V.O. narrative is overbearing and annoying at times. It's obvious that the story is told, and the script is written, from the POV of the L.A. police department, not from Hollywood scriptwriters. As such, the overall tone is cold and clinical.A story that's based mostly on robberies and burglaries, and an annoying V.O. narrative, combine to make the film less intense and more dated than contemporary films. Yet "He Walked By Night" has some significant distinctions that make it important historically. And the script is interesting because the events really happened. It's worth at least one viewing, especially for viewers who like true-life crime stories.

arfdawg-1 Allegedly based on a true story. Base in LA of yesterday...not today.More or less directed like an episode o Dragnet. I used to love Dragnet when I was a kid and they had it in re runs on local TV.Unfortunately this movie feels very dated.The plot:In the Post-World War II, in Los Angeles, a criminal shoots and kills a police officer in the middle of the night. Without any leads, the chief of the LAPD assigns Sgt. Chuck Jones and Sgt. Marty Brennan to investigate the murder and apprehend the culprits. When the dealer of electronics devices, Paul Reeves, is caught selling a stolen projector, the police identifies the criminal, and connects him to other unsolved robberies. Using the witnesses of his heists, they draw their face, but the true identity of the smart and intelligent criminal is not disclosed. The perseverance of Sgt. Marty Brennan in his investigation gives a clue where he might live.

evening1 Richard Basehart is chilling as a radio operator-turned rogue in this noir that is literally cloaked in shadows.Rather than be caught with lock-picking tools, Roy pumps a patrolman full of lead. The cop tries valiantly to fight back and a whole detail of gumshoes work the streets of LA to find this reptilian thief.The cops use a mild-mannered businessman as the bait to catch Roy, leaving him woefully vulnerable to injury or worse. Basehart is chilling in a couple of claustrophobic scenes with the sap.Basehart gets milk deliveries to feed his poor dog, and that turns out to be his undoing. The film ends jarringly abruptly, like the victim's life.Grim, harsh, and powerful.