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They Drive by Night (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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47 reviews in total

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27 out of 36 people found the following review useful:
Enjoyable, And Hard To Classify, 5 March 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Not much action here for a "film noir" and really more of a melodrama than a crime story, but I still like this because the story's decent and it features a top-flight cast of actors who are usually fun to watch.

That cast includes George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart and Gale Page. My favorite of the group - in this film, at least - is Sheridan, a wise-cracking waitress. Raft and Bogart are truck drivers and Lupino plays the boss' wife. In here, the two women are more interesting than the men, which says a lot considering its Raft and Bogart.

Sheridan not only is easy on the eyes but delivers some great film-noir-type lines. Unfortunately, the edge is taken off her once she leave the diner and hitches a ride with Raft to Los Angeles.

Bogart plays more of a low-key family man whose wife (Page) is the nice- looking, wholesome type. This is one of the last movies Bogart made before he became a star. Hence, he gets fourth billing in here.

Lupino is very good as the vicious scorned woman, a role she found herself playing in a number of films.

As mentioned above, I'm not really sure how one would classify this film since there is humor, film noir, soap opera, straight drama and romance all in it. The combination makes the film interesting and recommended.

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20 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
The Long Haul, 20 July 2002

Author: telegonus from brighton, ma

This is the kind of movie that makes movie buffs movie buffs. On the surface the story is routine (I'm tempted to say hackneyed), the psychology shallow, the acting variable, and the meaning, such as it can be said to have one, borderline moronic. Yet it works like a charm, and is a minor classic of its kind. This is a tough movie to categorize. Not that one has to. It's a long haul trucker movie. But is that a genre? It has comedy and romance but is neither a comedy nor a romance; and it has tragedy but is not a tragedy. Near the end it turns into a murder story, though I wouldn't call it a crime picture. Director Raoul Walsh had a flair for subverting genres anyway, and made basically Raoul Walsh pictures, whatever the putative genre, and this one's about as Raoul Walsh as you can get.

It's the story of two brothers, played by George Raft and Humphrey Bogart, who are wildcat truckers who don't want to work for anyone else. They'd like to own their own rig but can't afford one, and are in debt up to their ears half the time. As the story progresses, Bogart loses in arm in an accident, and the boys have to go work for the boorish if amiable Alan Hale, whose wife, Ida Lupino, has eyes for Raft. Ann Sheridan is also on hand, as the hash-slinging good girl Raft really belongs with. Nothing special here, no great drama, and certainly no surprises. What drives the film, literally, is its optimism, especially as it relates to "little guys" Raft and Bogart. Without being too emphatic about it the movie is like a cheerleader for these two from start to finish.

The dialogue is salty and well-delivered by all, even the usually tedious Raft, while the background stuff,--the diners, rented rooms and garages--is beautifully detailed and always believable. Director Walsh was made for Warner Brothers, the studio that produced the film. He had a feeling for regular people, informal surroundings, the hustle and bustle of working life. Nor was he the least bit pretentious. The studio's famous liberalism didn't seem to rub off on him. He remained a populist with an anarchic streak, and was never an ideologue, hence this movie's depiction of blue collar life rings truer than most, as we know that these little guys want to be big shots (as most little guys do), and that they mean it when they say they want to give everyone a fair shake. We know in our guts that if these two ever make it to the big time they'll be awfully nice guys to work for. It's not easy for a movie to convince a viewer of such things,--it's not easy for a movie to be convincing at all, but this one is. Thanks to Raoul Walsh, with a little help from his fine cast.

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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Solid melodramatic entertainment which borrows the second half of its plot from Archie Mayo's "Bordertown.", 16 April 2005

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Bogart had an opportunity for considerably more self-expression in "They Drive By Night," a film which has remained popular with audiences not so much for its story, which is rather trivial, but for the forceful performances contributed by all its leading players and the good direction by Raoul Walsh…

Raft and Bogart are brothers who wanted to start their own trucking business and eventually succeed, but not before Bogart loses an arm in an accident and Lupino nearly sends Raft to jail for a murder she committed… The trial sequence in which her latent insanity causes her to disintegrate into hysterics on the witness stand is one of the screen's best remembered moments…

Bogart was convincing in his role as he gave way to the frustrations and bitterness of a cripple and then back again to resigned self-satisfaction as he accepted the role life had given him to play out…

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Oomph!, 6 April 1999

Author: David Fiore from Verdun, Quebec

You've gotta love the movie which gave Ann Sheridan her big break! She's wonderful here as a down-and-out waitress who falls for smooth roughneck Joe Fabrini (George Raft). Not to be outdone, Ida Lupino scores even bigger (THE DOORS MADE ME DO IT!) You'll never look at a garage the same way again! The Warner Bros. stock players are in incredible form (Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, George Tobias, etc.) and the script by Wald and Macaulay never lets them down for a second. It's mile-a-minute banter delivered by pros (this film played a big part in landing bigger roles for Bogie). Enjoy!

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11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Two Movies For the Price of One!, 24 January 2004

Author: (bsmith5552@rogers.com) from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"They Drive By Night" is really two separate stories. The first, has Joe Fabrini (George Raft) and his brother Paul (Humphrey Bogart) struggling to make a living as independent truckers in California hauling fruit. They are just making ends meet and staying one step ahead of money lender Farnsworth (Charles Halton) who is trying to re-possess their truck. At a truck stop Joe meets sharp tongued waitress Cassie Hartley (Ann Sheridan). Later the boys pick her up along the road and Joe strikes up a romance with her.

When they finally make enough to pay off their truck, tragedy strikes. While driving along, Paul falls asleep at the wheel and the truck crashes. Paul loses his right arm in the accident and the boys lose their truck.

Joe decides (in story #2) to go to work for ex-trucker Ed Carlson (Alan Hale) whose amitious young wife Lana (Ida Lupino) sets her sights on Joe. But Joe repels her advances professing his love for Cassie. In a plot to sway Joe, Lana murders her oafish husband and forms a partnership with Joe hoping that this will bring him around.

When Joe continues to reject her, Lana's conscience begins to bother her over her husband's murder and she slowly begins to lose her mind. She tries to have Joe blamed for Carlson's murder but becomes unbalanced on the stand.

This picture was designed as a vehicle for George Raft, however it is newcomer Lupino who steals the show. Her descent into madness is riveting, especially her breakdown in court. Bogart virtually disappears in the second half of the movie. Sheridan provides her customary ooomph as Raft's love interest. Hale is way over the top as the loud-mouthed Carlson. Roscoe Karns is along for comedy relief and George Tobias appears as a fruit wholesaler.

Raft in the following year would turn down two films that would catapult Bogey into stardom. The films: High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon.

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12 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
One of George Raft's best, 8 August 2006

Author: ROCKY-19 from Arizona

Let's get this out of the way first: Humphrey Bogart's legions of fans seem impelled to insult George Raft as often as possible, no matter how inappropriate or clearly wrong. Those not so blinded will thoroughly enjoy this odd, mixed bag of a picture. Raft and Bogey play brothers - very believably so - who are wildcat truck drivers trying to get ahead in a tough business during the Depression. The film is odd because it seems like two separate movies. It starts out as a seeming social commentary on the hard life of truckers with fine characterizations. But as soon as Ida Lupino appears it veers straight into film noir. I, personally, would have preferred a continuation of the tone of the first part of the film rather than be subjected to the "crazy b----" act that so many call "classic" and "stealing the picture." There either should have been more foreshadowing of this switch early in the film, or the screenwriters should have found something more consistent. At any rate, Raft and Bogart get to step away from gangster roles for a breather. They're still tough guys, but they're vulnerable to the whims of fate. Raft, in fact, is adorable here, uncharacteristically blue-collar and common, desperate to be in charge of his own life. He has instant chemistry with no-nonsense Ann Sheridan. Raft works so comfortably under Walsh's direction, it's rather refreshing. If rumors are true and Bogart and Raft were not getting along at this point, they were both professionals and hid it very well. Blame Lupino, but by the second half of the film, Bogart practically disappears just when we'd like to see more development of his very sympathetic character. For Bogart fans, this is not a "Bogey" film. He's simply prepping for legend-status just around the corner. It would have been nice to see more of Sheridan, as well. I don't recall Alan Hale ever being better than he is here - watch the small things he does with such a loud character. Lupino is definitely unforgettable, and her cult following will love this. Roscoe Karns is again a fun comic foil. The editing of the picture is sometimes a bit rough, and there is a telephone sequence that does not visually work. Arthur Edeson was a frustratingly inconsistent cinematographer, ranging from brilliant work like "Casa Blanca" to B level work. This is somewhere in the middle, but the road sequences are great.

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13 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Terrific melodrama about wildcat truck drivers that ill-advisedly introduces a murder plot in the second half, 26 April 2005

Author: J. Spurlin from United States

Five years ago I wrote a snotty IMDb review for this movie after seeing it at a local theater. Now I just saw it again on DVD and wonder what the hell I was thinking. First, it's terrific. Second, I got what was good and bad about it exactly wrong.

Joe and Paul Fabrini (George Raft and Humphrey Bogart) are two wildcat truck drivers struggling to stay one step ahead of their creditors. Their job requires long hours on the road and prevents them from getting enough sleep. Paul's wife (Gale Page, who gives the only colorless performance in the film) worries she's going to find herself a widow someday and for good reason. Joe, Paul and a hardboiled waitress (Ann Sheridan) they pick up hitchhiking are witness to just how dangerous the business is. They watch in horror when the driver of the truck ahead of them falls asleep and runs off the road; both men inside die in a fiery explosion. It proves to be a glimpse of Joe and Paul's future when they wind up in their own accident.

That leads Joe to go to work for an old friend, who now runs his own trucking business. Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale, in a splendidly boisterous performance) is rich and successful, but he's still a regular fellow and hasn't lost the vulgar manners of his class. This annoys his wife Lana (Ida Lupino) to no end. She's clearly nouveau riche herself, but wants to rise above the low-class antics of her husband. And she's in love with Joe, who wants nothing to do with her. This drives her to commit murder.

That's when the movie changes coarse and for the worse. But five years ago I preferred the second half of the movie to the first. I guess I just have a weakness for murder stories, but the movie is clearly better before it becomes one. The murder sequence itself is packed with drama, but this plot twist sends the movie spiraling down until it reaches the tedious courtroom montage, which climaxes with Ida Lupino, who has been terrific up until this point, having a campy nervous breakdown on the stand. ("The doors made me do it! The doors made me do it!") And the less said about the phony feel-good last scene (where Bogart winks into the camera) the better.

Raft is fine in the lead, but modern-day viewers will almost surely wish that he and Bogart had each other's parts. Bogart was still a year away from graduating to leading man status. He's fine in this supporting role, but it's a shame the movie neglects his sympathetic character during the second half.

I half-liked Roscoe Karns as a pinball fanatic. He's funny when he seems to be only a walk-on character, but he overplays his later scenes as a comic drunk. Best of all is Ann Sheridan, who delivers her lines like she's cracking ice. She's tough but softens once she falls in love. The movie never should have thrown her out of the spotlight and put Ida Lupino's character in her place. She was – and should have continued to be – the heart of the movie.

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15 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
"I Committed Murder To Get You.", 14 November 2006

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

George Raft and Humphrey Bogart are the truck driving Fabrini Brothers, a pair of owner/operators who when their truck is totaled in a bad wreck go to work for goodhearted Alan Hale who owns a trucking company. Hale's a decent sort, but kind of crude and that grates on his pretty wife Ida Lupino. She's got an eye on Raft. But Raft likes earthy, sexy Ann Sheridan.

They Drive By Night from the working class studio of Warner Brothers is one of the earliest examples of sexual harassment shown on screen. Ida will do anything to possess Raft even kill for it.

The film really belongs to the women here. Ann Sheridan and Ida really do dominate this film, especially Ida with an over the top performance of a woman driven mad by her obsession.

Back in the day it was the habit of studios to make sure they had lots of backup in their roster. Bette Davis was legendarily feuding with Jack Warner for better roles and she had staged a well publicized walk out on her contract. I have no doubt that this film was to build up Ida Lupino as a Davis alternative. The part Lupino does play has Davis written all over it.

My guess is that Davis would not have wanted to appear opposite George Raft any more than opposite Errol Flynn. So the part went to Lupino who recognized a good role and ran away with it.

Humphrey Bogart is totally wasted in the brother part. He loses an arm in the wreck and has little to do, but be supportive to his brother and resist taking charity. He and Lupino would both boost their careers in their next film High Sierra.

For those who like to see people crack up on screen, They Drive By Night is the film for you.

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic film noir, 18 November 2007

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

The film noir 'genre' has delivered a lot of great films, but few top this one; and that's really saying something considering just how many great noirs there are. The film is something of an odd one with regards to the way the plot moves; it's really a movie of three sections, and the way it jumps from the first section to the second section is wholly unexpected. I suppose the way that the film moves may be the reason why this isn't universally accepted as one of the best films of its type; but if you ask me the strange plot is one of the film's strongest points - nobody wants to sit through a predictable movie, and They Drive by Night is anything but predictable. The plot focuses on two brothers - Joe and Paul Fabrini. The pair drive a truck delivering things to the market and not making a lot of money. They finally get a break when Joe takes a risk and decides to buy his own consignment; but their luck takes a turn for the worse when Paul crashes the truck and becomes unable to work. Joe then takes a job working for his old friend Ed's company, which brings about problems of its own...

One of the trademarks of the noir style of film-making is a thick foreboding atmosphere; this film features that and then some. They Drive by Night takes it further than most, and the film almost has an affinity with the horror genre for its dark atmosphere, plot and characters. Once the film moves into the second stage, the horror elements are rampant. The acting in the film is excellent; George Raft and Humphrey Bogart are entirely convincing as the rag-tag pair of brothers, while excellent support is given from two ladies; Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino. It's Ida Lupino that really makes this film what it is for me; her icy cold persona is breathtaking, and she holds the screen excellently. The murder scene in this film is extremely effective also; and while not as spectacular as some of the death scenes in the gory horror flicks that I often watch, its subtleness makes it memorable. The final third of the film is a courtroom drama and it's the worst part of it for me, but that isn't enough to ruin what is a brilliant film and I certainly would not hesitate to recommend They Drive by Night to noir fans and everyone else.

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11 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
Superb Use of Metaphor, 13 June 2005

Author: Tarasicodissa from Pennsylvania

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

It has already been mentioned that Ida Lupino's character murders her husband because she despises his drunken boorishness and wants George Raft so I won't call it a spoiler. But the handling of it was a wonderfully done scene.

We earlier had the "prefiguring" scene where Alan Hale showed off his latest toy. A new seeing eye electric garage door opener.

Ida drives back from the party livid at her rejection by Raft. Her husband is passed out drunk in the seat next to her. They are parked in the garage. The engine is still running. She looks at him in disgust and wishes he could just go away. The engine is still running. Then you see the thought enter her head. She could just get up and go into the house and leave him there. No gun, no witnesses, no suffering. Being rid of him is as simple as that. This is a tragic accident waiting to happen. Let it happen. Honest, officer, it was an accident.

She gets out of the car, leaving the motor running and walks into the driveway. As she is about to cross the line of the seeing eye, she hesitates. She's selfish but she has a conscience. She hesitates at "crossing the line" of the electric eye to "shut the door" behind her. Crossing a moral line forever from petty selfishness to evil. Crossing the line for the rest of her life from flawed person to murderer.

She steels herself, crosses the line and the garage door shuts behind her.

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