Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $2.35 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

He Walked by Night (1948)

Richard Basehart , Scott Brady , Alfred L. Werker , Anthony Mann  |  NR |  DVD
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Other Formats & Versions

Amazon Price New from Used from
DVD 1-Disc Version $6.27  
  1-Disc Version --  

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product Details

  • Actors: Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell, James Cardwell
  • Directors: Alfred L. Werker, Anthony Mann
  • Writers: Crane Wilbur, Harry Essex, John C. Higgins
  • Producers: Bryan Foy, Robert Kane
  • Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, NTSC
  • Language: English, Spanish
  • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: MGM
  • DVD Release Date: December 2, 2003
  • Run Time: 79 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0000CNY4Z
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,730 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "He Walked by Night" on IMDb

Special Features

None.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This gritty and often chilling documentary-style noir (based on a true story) about the hunt for a cop killer in Los Angeles is a must-have for fans of vintage crime films. Richard Basehart stars as a cold-blooded thief whose murder of a police officer sets off a citywide manhunt; the law, led by granite-jawed Scott Brady, tracks him relentlessly until the pair square off in the shadow-steeped drainage canals beneath the city (the same locale for the finale of Them!). Though Alfred Werker is credited as director, noir and Western vet Anthony Mann actually helmed the majority of the film; his muscular direction lends palpable suspense to the picture, aided in no small part by longtime collaborators John C. Higgins (who co-wrote the script) and cinematographer John Alton, whose Germanic-influenced lighting creates an otherworldly atmosphere. Supporting cast member Jack Webb borrowed the no-nonsense, semi-documentary approach for Dragnet. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

Based on true events, this film noir classic is a "thrilling, absorbing story, superbly told, well-acted [and] brilliantly photographed" (The Hollywood Reporter). Starring Richard Basehart, Scott Brady and Jack Webb, this "tense, exciting" (Variety) thriller was the inspiration not only for the TV series "Dragnet" but for many other subsequent "ripped from the headlines" crime dramas. Taken from actual case files, He Walked by Night is the suspenseful, action-packed tale of a manhunt for the most cunning criminal in the history of the LAPD. With a combination of ingenuity, state-of-the-art technology, sweat and sheer determination, the police painstakingly track down a brilliant, elusive thief and cop killer who seems to have the ability to vanish into thin air. But can they catch him before he murders again?

Customer Reviews

Worth looking into if you like solid, entertaining crime dramas. cookieman108  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
The cinematography, by John Alton, is superb! dustman  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars MGM digs up gold! December 15, 2003
By Gate67
Format:DVD
I think mostly everything that needs to be said about this particular film noir classic has been said before, in other previous reviews. I am adding to the review selection only to tell film buffs that the MGM released DVD of Dec.2nd 2003, is absolutely superior to any previous DVD release for this film. Apparently MGM had the original negative, or at least a top notch print the whole time. For a 55 year old film, this DVD release is excellent, and at a great price. Throw the Alpha, or the Film Noir Of Anthony Mann version to the side. This is the real deal! Great film noir, and a great quality dvd to boot. No extras, but a nice black and white print at a bargain price.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful suspense classic! January 6, 2001
The inspiration for "Dragnet" and a milestone in semi-documentary realism in film, "He Walked By Night" is an unforgettable study in pop-psychopathology and the rigors of homicide work. Primarily directed by Alfred L. Werker, who also gave us such superior fare as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1939), "Repeat Performance" (1947), and "Shock" (1946), this highly engrossing movie features expertly laconic and understated performances, remarkably arty cinematography, and a level of tension and suspense that builds masterfully to an exciting and visually superb climax. Here is the contrived but sincere realism of "Dragnet," and, most of all, the same promotion of respect for police officers and police work. The entire cast, including Richard Basehart in the lead and none other than Jack Webb in a supporting role, is outstanding, and there is directoral assistance from the great Anthony Mann. This reviewer's favorite movie.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars 'Based on a true story...' December 6, 2004
Format:DVD
... with only the names changed to protect the innocent'...does this sound familiar? Some have likened He Walked by Night (1948) to the 50's television series Dragnet, and there are some similarities (one of the biggest being both feature Jack Webb), but this film differs from that popular series in that the focus is one the story, with emphasis placed both on the detective work and the elusive criminal, generally featuring the criminal more prominently, while Dragnet tended to deal more with the character of Joe Friday, with his no nonsense demeanor, and his partner, cracking whatever case may lay before them for that week, in my opinion. I've read that a police department advisor to this film actually suggested to Webb (who had a detective radio show at the time) that he do a radio series based on actual police files, and from this came the idea for Dragnet, which eventually evolved into the television series.

Directed by Alfred L. Werker (apparently Anthony Mann, a name known to noir fans, directed a good part of this film, uncredited), the film stars Richard Basehart, who played Ishmael to Gregory Peck's Captain Ahab in the 1956 version of Moby Dick, but is probably most well known for his vast television credentials spanning the late 50's up until the early 80's prior to his death in 1984 of a stroke (a few of the, in fact). Also appearing is Scott Brady (The Law vs. Billy the Kid), Roy Roberts (Chinatown), Whit Bissell (Target Earth), James Cardwell (The Return of the Whistler), and, as I mentioned before, Jack Webb (Dragnet).

The film starts off with the slaying of a police officer as he stopped on his way home late one night to investigate a suspicious looking character (Basehart) trying to gain entry into an electronics store.
... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Basehart Is Brilliant September 11, 2004
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The genius of Richard Basehart, one of our greatest and most underrecognized actors, is showcased in this documentary-style release from the noir tradition. His characterization of the cop killer and thief is unsettling in its intensity and power. The direction and editing are razor-sharp; the use of light and shadow is hypnotic in its effectiveness. In the hands of less gifted people, this film could have come off as a basic 'Fifties low-budget cops and robbers story, but it never lets us down. The suspense is relentless. You feel the starkness, and the dark and damp of the locations chill you. The best thing in the film is Basehart's performance. Watch him in character doing surgery on himself to remove a bullet from a cop's gun. He actually breaks a sweat! You can't take your eyes off him for one frame. There lies true genius as applied to actors. We need more of his films to become available on DVD. Overall, "He Walked By Night" is a winner. It's an excellent choice for any classic crime movie fan who's looking for a truly riveting experience.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars True Story of Hunters & Hunted, 1940s Los Angeles. July 24, 2005
Format:DVD
The introduction to "He Walked By Night" opens with the statement "This is a true story" and ends with "Only the names have been changed....to protect the innocent." If that sounds familiar, it was repeated weekly in the television series "Dragnet", for which "He Walked By Night" was the inspiration. Jack Webb, who produced and starred in two "Dragnet" series in the 1950s and 1960s, plays a forensics expert in this film. The real story behind the movie took place in 1946, when Erwin Walker -World War II veteran, former police department employee, thief and murderer- eluded the Los Angeles police for months.

When a police officer (John McGuire) patrolling the Hollywood beat questions a man he witnessed trying to break into a radio shop, the man shoots him in cold blood. After a citywide dragnet fails to capture the officer's assailant, police Captain Breen (Roy Roberts) assigns the case to Sergeants Marty Brennan and Chuck Jones. They are able to identify the culprit as Roy Martin (Richard Basehart) through an electronics store where he consigns stolen goods, but Martin eludes the police trap. Law enforcement is at a loss to locate a criminal who is clever, resourceful, reclusive, and entirely unknown to the criminal underworld. Until Sergeant Brennan (Scott Brady) has a revelation.

The manhunt and police procedural are narrated by the stentorian voice of Reed Hadley, who narrated perhaps 15 films in his career, including the noir docudramas "T-Men" and "Call Northside 777". Unlike his pursuers, the audience observes the activities and character of Roy Martin as he is hunted. Martin's only redeeming characteristics are his intelligence and his cute dog, but he nevertheless becomes a sort of anti-hero. We know more about him than we do about the wooden police officers.
... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars He Walked By Night
This DVD quality is okay. I can tell some dialogues were truncated. Too bad. It was because of nostalgia that I bought the DVD.
Published 1 month ago by Nancy H. Tuey
4.0 out of 5 stars True Noir
The greatest asset of this noir entry is John Alton's beautifully atmospheric cinematography. Basehart has always been a better villain than protagonist. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Chow
2.0 out of 5 stars HE WALKED BY NIGHT
service was good from seller but picture and sound quality of disk was very, very poor ! i was very disappointed in the disk. Read more
Published 4 months ago by john m. maddox
3.0 out of 5 stars American Psycho #27
Who knows what makes a guy flip, a guy turn into a flat-out maniac, a stone-cold killer when to all the whole wicked world he looks like a guy who is just a little eccentric, a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alfred Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of the Film Noir!
Four factors make this movie is out of comparison respect the other similar films of the genre: First: the genial cinematography. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Hiram Gomez Pardo
4.0 out of 5 stars Film Noir
Film noir based on true events - just the names was changed for the movie.

Primary I don't like very much film noir's in documentary style - but this one was really... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Anton Beat Riess
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie
This is a great movie. The story is exciting and well-written. The style of the film is groundbreaking. The cinematography is excellent. The supporting cast is top-notch. Read more
Published on August 17, 2010 by Don Crabtree
5.0 out of 5 stars HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948)
HE WALKED BY NIGHT (1948)

"All units, all units in the vicinity of State Street and Santa Monica Boulevard proceed at once to 5057 State Street, five-oh five seven State... Read more
Published on June 28, 2010 by dustman
5.0 out of 5 stars A Genuinely Enjoyable Police Procedural
Alfred Werker's "He Walked by Night" is a gripping thriller that succeeds because of its purity of execution. Read more
Published on March 23, 2009 by Stephen Kaczmarek
4.0 out of 5 stars Alton's Camera, Basehart's Acting Highlight This Noir
To me, the best thing about this DVD is that it is full of good film noir photography with lots of nighttime shots and many shadows, not only outdoors but indoors and even in the... Read more
Published on February 20, 2009 by Craig Connell
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



Look for Similar Items by Category