- Directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited Anthony Mann, He Walked by Night is a surprisingly compelling documentary-style noir that relates the particulars of a seemingly unstoppable one-man crime wave. The man in question, based loosely on real-life criminal Erwin "Machine-Gun" Walker, is Roy Morgan (Richard Basehart), a lone wolf whose scientific proficiencies and familiarity with the Los Angeles storm sewer system make him a tough crook to catch. Initially, Morgan is content to sell stolen electronic goods to an unwary dealer named Reeves (Whit Bissell). As the police (Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, James Cardwell) close in, however, Morgan's crimes take a turn for the violent. How do you catch a man with no family and friends who works and lives alone?
- Like many documentary-style noirs, He Walked by Night works best when it depicts the underappreciated aspects of police work in full detail. A memorable facial reconstruction scene, for example, shows a diverse community of witnesses trying to converge on a single description of Morgan. In the film's more exciting moments, the camera tracks its taciturn villain into the darkly-lit storm sewers, where legions of flashlight-carrying police jog through the tunnels in hot pursuit. He Walked by Night never attempts to discover Morgan's motives, which is in some ways the most realistic detail of all. Who really knows what that quiet fellow next door has been up to at night?
- Jack Webb, who plays a crime lab technician, was apparently inspired by this film to create Dragnet, in which he played Sgt. Joe Friday.
