A 1948 film depicting a one-man crime spree in Los Angeles and the police department doing everything they can to track the criminal down.
Roy Morgan (Richard Basehart) is a criminal with interest and skill in high end electronics, and one night he is stopped by a cop for shady behavior outside a store and Martin shoots the cop in desperation. This incites the entire precinct to go after him, which is made frustrating because the man is incredibly smart, careful and slippery whenever they come close to finding him.
He Walked By Night, along with The Naked City is considered one of the earliest Police Procedurals. The film was Ripped from the Headlines from the actual '45-'46 police manhunt for Erwin "Machine-Gun" Walker. In fact, Jack Webb plays the crime lab technician and his interactions with the police technical adviser is what led to the creation of Dragnet. The film opens with the statement that it is Based on a True Story, with names changed to protect the innocent, and an early line mentions the police sending out a "dragnet" to find suspects.
He Troped By Night:
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Justified being that it is the expansive LA storm drain system, with the narrator stating that at certain points you can drive two cars side by side. Morgan uses them to slip away, and the climax ends up in there.
- Beardness Protection Program: After hearing his description broadcast on the police radio, Cop Killer Roy Morgan immediately shaves off his pencil moustache.
- Crazy-Prepared: Morgan tries to prepare for every possible eventuality, even leaving caches of weapons in the storm system in case he has to escape that way.
- Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: Sgt.Brennan poses as a milkman to get close to Morgan's apartment to verify that he is the man they are looking for.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: After knocking Reaves to the floor, Morgan viciously kicks him. Reaves is next seen with a large bandage on his face.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted, possibly unintentionally. Sgt. Jones is a major character, and when given instructions to patrolmen, Capt.Breen addresses one of them as Jones. Also, on two separate occasions, Capt. Breen phones the captains in charge of the burglary and robbery divisions. On each occasion, he addresses the person on the other end as 'Steve'.
- Pet the Dog: Morgan is a cunning and, at times, violent criminal. But he clearly loves his dog. And the dog returns the favor by warning Morgan of a squad of policemen sneaking up on his house.
- Pistol-Whipping: Morgan slugs Sgt. Brennan over the head with a .45 automatic during their struggle in Reaves' plant.
- Self-Surgery: Following a shootout with the police, Morgan performs fairly intricate surgery on himself, using boiled tools to sew up his wound so as to avoid going to the hospital. It's yet another show of how Crazy-Prepared he is at his criminal enterprise.
- Shown Their Work: Very accurate in nearly every detail, not just in depicting the Walker case but including the forensics work.
- Trunk Shot: Considered one of the first films to use this camera angle, when the police are examining Morgan's car and find a selection of burglary tools, nitro glycerin and weapons.
