I've been hearing about this film for years though never managed to see it until today when the BBC screened it at 6.10 A.M.! I got up early to check it out and on the whole I don't regret it. From what I'd heard I had assumed erroneously that it was more or less a two-hander for Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell when in fact the movie is crammed with familiar faces to serious film buffs none more so than Ian Wolfe (who had to wait for several years before getting another showy role in 12 Angry Men) as an opportunist justice of the peace who performs the ceremony on behalf of O'Connell and Granger, as well as Jay C. Flippen, Howard da Silva, and Will George, not quite eclipsing his role as 'Dad' in The Blue Dahlia. Because I'd only seen Cathy O'Donnell in her goody two-shoes girl next door roles in things like Detective Story I was slightly disconcerted by the early scenes in which she comes on like a semi-tomboy living in a world of men in the sticks and smoking yet, but once - after roughly four reels - she and Granger become a couple she gradually metamorphoses into the guileless girl we know so well. All in all it's a striking debut for Nick Ray and well worth catching.

They Live By Night (AKA: The Twisted Road) is directed by Nicholas Ray and written by Ray and Charles Schnee who adapt from Edward Anderson's novel Thieves Like Us. It stars Cathy O'Donnell, Farley Granger, Howard Da Silva & Jay C. Flippen. Produced by John Houseman out of RKO, it's photographed by George E. Diskant and music is by Leigh Harline.Ray's debut feature (it was actually wrapped in 1947) is a potent piece of film noir set during the Great Depression. Story follows Bowie (Granger), a naive young man who escapes from prison with two hardened criminals, Chicamaw (Da Silva) & T-Dub (Flippen), and finds unexpected love in the form of the almost saintly Keechie (O'Donnell). However, he finds that no matter what his good intentions are, crime just wont leave him be and with Keechie in tow, goes on the run to hopefully find a better life.It's a pretty simple story all told, one that has been well represented in film over the years with the likes of You Only Live Once, High Sierra & Gun Crazy. But as simple as the tale is, Ray's film is very much a leading light in the sub-genre of "lovers on the lam" movies. First thing of note is that there's a movement away from the normal characters that had frequented the noir driven crime world up till now. The protagonists here are not gangsters or private investigators, they are thieves, and country folk too. This offers up a different viewing character wise. Admittedly the protagonists are shrouded in classic film noir hopelessness, where the air of desperation hangs heavy throughout, but the characterisation shift gives the simple story a lift.From the outset it's evident that this is an intriguing, even curious, picture. A shot of our loving couple sharing a kiss is accompanied with a title card telling us that they were never properly introduced to the world we live in. A blast of Harline's music startles them and we then cut to an aerial shot (Ray leading the way for helicopter shots) of the three escapee's in the getaway car. In those 30 seconds Ray has managed to convey that his film will be an energetic, yet doom laden, love story. Quite a feat for a fledgling director to be unique right from the off. It's interesting to note that Ray himself said that he wasn't trying to make a film noir movie, he was merely telling a tragic love story. Just another point of reference as to why the film is so fascinating.Be that as it may, They Live By Night pulses with noir blood. From its perpetual moody atmospherics, to the romantic narrative being punctured by moments of violence, it deserves its classic film noir status. 8/10

After serving seven years in prison, for a crime he (arguably) didn't commit, handsome Farley Granger (as Arthur "Bowie" Bowers) escapes from prison. The 23-year old Mr. Granger is accompanied by visually-impaired Howard Da Silva (as Chicamaw "One-Eye" Mobley) and seasoned leader Jay C. Flippen (Henry "T-Dub" Mansfield). The gang of three decide to hide out with Mr. Da Silva's brother, gas station attendant Will Wright, while planning a bank heist. Granger is reluctant to participate, but thinks one last job will enable him to hire a lawyer, and clear his murder rap. Da Silva's niece, unassuming Cathy O'Donnell (as Catherine "Keechie" Mobley), and Granger fall in love."They Live by Night" opens with a shot of Granger smooching Ms. O'Donnell, while the slick proclamation - "This boy… and this girl… were never properly introduced to the world we live in… To tell their story…" - is slowly superimposed on the screen. Later, we learn the pair never even knew how to kiss… well, he was in prison… for a long time… BUT, the film is better than the dumb romance you're expecting. Quietly wide-eyed Granger and plainly beautiful O'Donnell make it connect, with others in the cast adding realistic characterizations. First-time director Nicholas Ray gives his young couple a delicate, aching innocent intimacy which transcends the ordinary storyline.******** They Live by Night (8/48) Nicholas Ray ~ Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell, Howard Da Silva, Jay C. Flippen

It starts with a jailbreak. Two older bank robbers, and a youngish thief named Bowie (Farley Granger), hit the road in search of more loot. Very soon, Bowie's chance encounter with a solemn young woman, Keechie (Cathy O'Donnell), changes the trajectory of Bowie's destiny.Essentially a love story, "They Live By Night" is a kind of Romeo and Juliet story set against a crime backdrop. Though society sees Bowie as an outlaw, he is a naive dreamer, at heart. Both Bowie and Keechie are outsiders, loners on the run, in a corrupt, uncaring world. Neither has any real friends, nor can they trust anyone else.The film's B&W lighting is certainly high-contrast noirish. And the director makes use of a fair amount of aerial photography. Looking down from above on Bowie's getaways, the camera is like a vulture swooping down on its prey, thematically representing the oppression that Bowie must feel, with no place to hide. The drab production design accurately mirrors the story's setting during the Depression era.Absent the usual story clichés, "They Live By Night" is a well-made film, with two sympathetic main characters. Although the ending is a tad predictable, the getting there makes for an interesting cinematic ride.