When a Los Angeles police officer is savagely gunned down, a city-wide manhunt ensues for his cunning and ruthless killer.
But finding the murderer, chillingly played by Richard Basehart in only his third film, proves difficult for Detective Marty Brennan (Scott Brady) and his colleagues as Basehart’s Roy Morgan is always one step ahead of the law. Will modern police methods and sheer determination be enough to find the elusive cop-killer before he strikes again?
Visually stunning, cinematographer John Alton’s brilliant use of light and shadows shine in this groundbreaking police procedural that paved the way for the TV series Dragnet; which itself spawned an entire sub-genre of television crime-dramas that are still popular to this day.
Based on true events, He Walked by Night was directed by Alfred L. Werker, along with an uncredited Anthony Mann (who is believed to be responsible for the film’s most iconic scenes). Co-written by John C. Higgins (Raw Deal) and Crane Wilbur (The Phenix City Story), it also features Jack Webb who went on to create and star in the aforementioned Dragnet.
For thoughts on He Walked By Night, please check out my piece on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
He Walked By Night makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to ClassicFlix with a 1080p master from a restoration that is quite excellent. Word is that the source provided for this was not in great shape, but ClassicFlix has put a lot of effort into making this film look as solid as possible. The lovely black-and-white photography sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact and nothing too problematic in terms of density fluctuations. Black levels are deep with no obvious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is mostly well defined, and the track experiences very little in the way of damage. There is a fine amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. Where the transfer is the weakest is in general softness and distinct dips in clarity due to the state of the source elements. The presentation is far from tack sharp, but it gets the job done, especially when you know what the label was working with in the first place. ClassicFlix has done some admirable work here and any fan should be glad that this level of care was put forth on a public domain title.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a decent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that handles this movie well enough. Dialogue and background noises are represented in pleasant harmony with all competing elements. The music never really overpowers the dialogue or other important information. This track does present some amount of age-related wear and tear, as it sometimes struggles with the Leonid Raab score. This is a recurring theme for audio tracks for classic films, as age has not been kind to the fidelity of certain recordings. There are also certain instances of dialogue that sound a bit hollow, but typically it sounds natural with the overbearing narration coming through especially clear. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Even with some source issues, ClassicFlix has done a commendable job to provide the most stable track possible for this one.
Special Features
This Blu-Ray set includes a multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Trailing A Cop Killer: The Secrets of He Walked By Night” by film historian Max Alvarez. The essay provides a great amount of context to Mann’s apparent involvement with this film as well as the ties to real-life criminal matters. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Biographer and Producer Alan K. Rode & writer and film historian Julie Kirgo provide an in-depth and entertaining commentary track in which they discuss the history behind the creation of this picture, the blending of fact and fiction, the presumed contributions of Anthony Mann, the careers of the talent involved, recycled footage from T-Men, the creative ways Eagle-Lion tried to get their scripts approved by the censors and much more that makes for a very enlightening track. There is also an amusing story that Rode tells about his mother going on a double-date with one of the performers that you will have to tune into to hear.
- Below The Surface – He Walked By Night Featurette: A 12-minute featurette in which Rode and Kirgo return on-camera along with various other film historians to discuss the real-life inspiration for the film, the qualities of the killer, the performances in the film, the use of silence within the feature, the circumstances around the directorial credit, the philosophical point of view of the camera and more.
- Image Gallery: A collection of rare stills, posters and promotional materials are provided here.
Final Thoughts
He Walked By Night has some presentational drawbacks like its comrade T-Men when it comes to underlining the story with unnecessary narration, but once you put these elements aside the film engages you pretty thoroughly. The villainous turn by Richard Basehart is unsettling enough to keep you peeping around dark corners. There is a slightly erratic feel to the film which can likely be tied back to the behind-the-scenes turmoil, but most will fall into the exciting rhythms once the investigation gets going properly. ClassicFlix has released a Special Edition Blu-Ray featuring a good A/V presentation along with a strong assortment of special features. If you are a fan of film noir, this should be a worthwhile purchase for you. Recommended
He Walked By Night (Special Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: ClassicFlix has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
