Recently caught up with He Walked by Night, credited to Alfred L. Werker but much if it was directed by Anthony Mann, resuming his fruitful collaboration with cinematographer John Alton.
It belongs to the cycle of semi-documentary thrillers popular in the late 40s (The House on 92nd Street, The Naked City, Call Northside 777, etc) and follows police efforts to thwart a slippery, devious criminal (Richard Basehart), who’s already murdered a copper (in a brusque and shocking scene typical of Mann) and uses high-tech techniques to keep ahead of the law.
The detective work is routine stuff and there are no rounded characters, but Basehart gives the brooding villain (whose only friend is his dog) a misanthropic intensity combined with an edgy unpredictability.
What really makes this worthwhile are the set-pieces and the photography. Alton’s lighting transforms even mundane scenes and surroundings, and the tension in the major crime scenes and the climactic chase through LA’s storm drains is palpable.
The last film noir I saw was “Party Girl” (1958), directed by Nicholas Ray and stars Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse and Lee J. Cobb.
The screenplay (by George Wells) is hardly anything unusual: Lawyer Thomas Farrell (Taylor) has made a career of defending gangsters and crooks in trials. But when he meets showgirl Vicki Gaye (Charisse) at a mob party held by racketeer Rico Angelo (Cobb) that he starts to come out of his shell. Farrell tries to quit, but Rico, whose partner is going to be indicted and needs Farrell more than ever, threatens to hurt Gaye badly if he quits.
The rather passé script, however, is enlivened to tremendous effect, not just by Jeff Alexander’s lush, Jazzy score, and Robert J. Bronner’s vibrant cinematography, but cult director Nicholas Ray brings a measured grace to the proceedings that really lifts the motion picture out of the ordinary. Robert Taylor is very good as the lawyer but Lee J. Cob, as a Capone like mobster chews up every scene he’s in with vigour. Although Chaisse hasn’t much to do and John Ireland is slightly two dimensional, this is a classy, exciting film noir deserves to be ranked among Ray’s best.
I noticed people were posting there top noir list a few pages back, so I’m gonna post my top 20:
Touch of Evil
Laura
Ascenseur pour l’echafaud
Pepe le Moko (not sure if this one counts)
The Big Sleep
In a Lonely Place
Rififi
Out of the Past
Key Largo
The Big Heat
The Maltese Falcon
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Pickup on South Street
The Narrow Margin
Detour
Sweet Smell of Success
Phantom Lady
The Reckless Moment
The Woman in the Window/Scarlet Street (I could never decide which I like better, if not for the anticlimatic ending I’d definitely say the former, but they’re practically the same film anyway.)
Murder, My Sweet
I’m gonna watch Sorry, Wrong Number soon, it looks quite interesting, hope it’ll make the list.
[quote=“Stalagmite, post:536, topic:1786”]My favorite is ‘The Maltese Falcon’ (thus far). Bogart is a genius is this one.
Any other awesome Bogart Noir performances?[/quote]
The Big Sleep is doing the rounds at selected cinemas in the UK at the moment. Bogey’s performance there is every bit as convincing as it is in Falcon.
