He Walked By Night (1948)

Directed by Alfred Werker; produced Bryan Foy and Robert T Kane

On his way home one evening, a Los Angeles policeman questions a suspicious individual (Richard Basehart). Instead of identifying himself the man shoots the officer, mortally wounding him. This starts a hunt for a cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to escape the consequences of his actions.

A crime drama that might serve as a model for the sub-genre of police procedural, He Walked By Night is an exciting and entertaining movie whose plot is viewed by the audience from both sides of the law. Based on the actions of and search for real-life killer Edwin Green, the story-line borrows heavily from genuine events, but fictionalises some aspects for dramatic effect. And the effects are indeed dramatic.

In only his third motion picture, Basehart easily shows his talent. Though his name doesn’t precede the title, this is undoubtedly a starring rôle. Other actors, in particular Scott Brady as the principal detective, do excellent work, but Basehart is the centre of the story. He carries off what might have been a wooden characterization, and makes Roy Martin a realistic – and frightening – human. There is an especially effective scene in which Martin performs surgery on himself; we see only Basehart’s face – and glimpse the instruments he uses – but it is a tense and vicariously painful scene.

The writing is of note, as well. It depicts the plodding elements of criminal investigation, the hundreds of leads, the leg-work, the dead-ends, and manages to convey the tedium of a real inquiry without imparting that tedium to the audience – not an easy thing to do.

But it is in the character of Martin that the script excels, and does so with not a little irony. It tells us almost nothing about the killer. We learn about him only through his actions, the few words he says, and what the police discover about him. He speaks cryptically about his goals – possibly having to do with starting his own electronics business – but this is never elaborated upon.

In another film, this blank where a character should be would be a detriment. In He Walked By Night, thanks to the writing and Basehart’s performance, Roy Martin becomes something to be feared in large part because he is a cipher: there is a scary unpredictability to him because the viewer knows nothing about him.

The direction (by Werker with the uncredited participation of Anthony Mann) and lighting also make He Walked By Night interesting and exciting. These qualities combine in the climax, featuring a manhunt in the Los Angeles storm-sewers. This caps a highly successful movie, which influenced one of the actors, Jack Webb, to create the radio and tv series Dragnet.