He Walked by Night

A police officer is shot in Los Angeles and the killer leaves no trace: expert in electronics, methodical, using the city's storm drains as an escape route. The police try to solve the puzzle with laboratory work. Alfred L. Werker directed, with some sections shot by Anthony Mann. The real work is done by the cinematographer John Alton, whose photography, working almost entirely in darkness, became a permanent example of what noir looks like. The story is based on a real case and puts procedure first, and Jack Webb, the police officer who advised on it, created the Dragnet series out of the experience. The finale in the drains is among the most cited passages in the genre. Who it is for: viewers who like forties noir and procedural stories. Who it is not for: anyone looking for depth of character.