“DOCU-NOIR AT ITS FINEST”

By Raymond Benson

(A previous edition of this film was released in 2017 by Classic Flix and was reviewed on Cinema Retro in 2020. The film has been re-issued as a “Special Edition” from Kino Lorber Studio Classics in 2024. Much of the following review is repeated, but updated, from the earlier piece.)

A sub-genre of film noir is that of the so-called “docu-noir,” a crime drama usually based on a true story and told as a Dragnet-style procedural. Most likely there is an omniscient voiceover narrator, a focus on the lawmen who are investigating the case, and all the other stylistic and thematic elements associated with film noir in general: starkly contrasting black and white photography, urban locations, shadows, gritty realism, angst and cynicism, and sometimes brutal violence.

Eagle-Lion Films was a British/American production company that existed for only a few years in the late 40s, disbanding in the early 50s. There was some talent involved, and they produced a variety of genres and pictures of varying quality (Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes was a rare Best Picture nominee). Many of the studio’s pictures were films noir that were shot as B-movies with low budgets and barebones casts and crews. Anthony Mann directed a couple of their classic crime movies—T-Men and Raw Deal, both of which fall into the “docu-noir” category. Unfortunately, due to bad management or negligence, many of Eagle-Lion’s titles fell out of copyright and currently reside in the public domain. Hence, one can often find bargain bin, cheap knock-off DVDs and Blu-rays of these films.

He Walked by Night is a prime example of a quality presentation of an equally impressive little movie. Made in 1948, Walked is a true story loosely based on the crime spree by Erwin “Machine Gun” Walker, who shot cops and committed burglaries and armed robberies in Los Angeles in the mid-40s. In real life, Walker was arrested and sentenced to prison, but he was paroled in the 70s. This is not the ending to the story that is depicted in the film.

A young Richard Basehart portrays disturbed war veteran Roy Morgan, a habitual burglar and armed robber. An off-duty cop on the street suspects Roy of being a burglar. Roy shoots and kills him. The POV switches to the police, especially Lt. Marty Brennan (Scott Brady), who is based on the investigator of the true case. He is assisted by Captain Breen (Roy Roberts), and forensics man Lee Whitey (Jack Webb, in an early screen appearance). The story follows the police investigation juxtaposed with Morgan’s eccentric and lonely existence, and the criminal’s increasingly violent crimes. The big break comes when a stolen item is recovered by an electronics pawn dealer (Whit Bissell), who has been unwittingly fencing for Morgan.

It’s all engaging stuff, and Basehart delivers an outstanding, creepy performance as Morgan. The police procedural sequences are done well, such as when a composite drawing of the suspect is created by all the witnesses to the crimes. The climactic set piece of a chase in LA’s sewer system is exciting, atmospheric, and pure noir. Oddly, it is similar to the ending of The Third Man, which was released a year later.

Even though Alfred Werker is credited as director, audio commentary speculates that Anthony Mann stepped in to helm some of the movie. Is it one of those Christian Nyby/Howard Hawks (The Thing) or Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg (Poltergeist) controversies? No one seems to know. He Walked by Night, however, does contain several sequences—including the final sewer chase—that are stylistic stamps of Mann. That said, much of the credit for the picture’s success goes to celebrated noir cinematographer John Alton.

Another sidebar related to the picture is Jack Webb’s meeting and further networking with the picture’s technical adviser Detective Sergeant Marty Wynn. This led to the ultimate creation of Dragnet as a radio and television show.

Kino Lorber’s new Special Edition Blu-ray presents a 16-bit 4K scan of the 35mm fine grain, and it looks quite wonderful, a remarkable step-up from other public domain transfers that are out there. It comes with English subtitles for the hearing impaired, as well as an audio commentary by biographer and producer Alan K. Rode and writer/film historian Julie Kirgo. New to this Special Edition is a second audio commentary by film historian Imogen Sara Smith. Unfortunately, the Kino Lorber edition does not contain other supplements that the previous Classic Flix edition did, nor the 24-page booklet that accompanied that packaging.

For fans of film noir, police procedurals, and gritty crime dramas, He Walked by Night is a good time at the movies.

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