He Walked by Night is a pretty dull murderer hunt type film, given life only by it's killer. The film being based on facts, that seems rather wrong no? Praising the guy who committed countless crimes and shot cops. All the cops involved had zero character, a guy getting out a cigarette every time he is in a scene is not a replacement for having personality. The face sketching scene was ridiculous and the cops taking forever to try and catch him at his home once they knew where he lived, was pathetic. Without the enigmatic and intriguing characterization of Roy, with which they would not of had that information as he was a loner, there is nothing here. So essentially the only good thing about this movie is mostly made up, might as well have made up the whole thing.

"He Walked by Night" is a crime-mystery film in the style of a police drama that would later be used in long-running TV series such as "Dragnet" in the 1950s and many more that followed. This film is about a specific true case from the Los Angeles PD files. It proved to be a particularly intriguing one, and hard to crack. For that reason, it keeps one's interest up. We all know who the killer is – that's not a secret to the viewers. But we don't know if, when and how the police will discover who he is, and how if he will come to justice. I remember watching the first "Dragnet" series on TV growing up in the 1950s. Detective Sergeant Joe Friday was known to most Americans far away from LA. It's interesting that the star of that long-running series – and its return to TV a few years later for another four-year run, is in this film. Jack Webb here plays Lee Whitey, the head of the police forensics lab. I think he actually has a more lively character in this film than he played as the matter-of-fact, seemingly droll Sgt. Joe Friday in "Dragnet."This film is entertaining as a crime and police pursuit film. Otherwise, the acting is just so-so and the technical production is average at best.

Film-Noir can take Varied Forms and Still be a True Film-Noir. This is One of those that Veered into the Police Procedural Genre. That by No Means makes this any Less of a Mean Film-Noir. John Alton's Famous Noir Photography with its Night Shoots, Diagonals, and Relentless Looming Shadows Dominate the Mundane, and now Frankly Dated but at the Time Cutting Edge Police Tech Inclusions.Richard Basehart's Cold Demeanor and Sweaty Presentation is also a Standout Noir Killer. The Scenes in His Lair are Outstandingly Sharp and Disturbing. A Self Surgical Procedure will have You Wincing. The Movie is Claustrophobic with its Crowded Police Station, Dingy Apartment, and the Climax in the L.A. Sewer System was so Effective it has been Imitated ever since.Brutal, Influential, and a Searing Criminal Crime Spree as Suspenseful here as Any in the Post War Fascination with Filming such Things Grabbed from the Headlines. A Fine Supporting Cast Including Jack Webb, using this Movie as On the Job Training, Whit Bissell, and Scott Brady.Overall, this is a DO NOT MISS Movie. But Beware of Vastly Inferior Public Domain Copies.

Richard Basehart is chilling as a radio operator-turned rogue in this noir that is literally cloaked in shadows.Rather than be caught with lock-picking tools, Roy pumps a patrolman full of lead. The cop tries valiantly to fight back and a whole detail of gumshoes work the streets of LA to find this reptilian thief.The cops use a mild-mannered businessman as the bait to catch Roy, leaving him woefully vulnerable to injury or worse. Basehart is chilling in a couple of claustrophobic scenes with the sap.Basehart gets milk deliveries to feed his poor dog, and that turns out to be his undoing. The film ends jarringly abruptly, like the victim's life.Grim, harsh, and powerful.