Touches You

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Brothers Paul (Humphrey Bogart) and Joe Fabrini are independent truckers struggling to make ends meet. A big operator is trying to drive them out of business. They pick up fired waitress Cassie Hartley out in the rain and Joe begins a relationship. Trucking business owner's wife Lana Carlsen (Ida Lupino) has her eye on Joe. Paul's wife Pearl wants him to quit the dangerous poorly-paid profession and stay home.Obviously, I'm watching this for Bogie and Ida Lupino doesn't hurt either. I don't know anything about George Raft. He seems to be a solid character actor specializing in tough guys. Star power would dictate that the brothers switch roles but this was a year before Bogie started his run. The story meanders around. All kinds of melodrama happen without getting to a particular destination. At first, it's a trucker story and then it goes into jealous obsession. Along the way, one loses an arm. It feels random. The movie should start closer to the accident and make the murder the central plot. The winding plot keeps the narrative flow uncertain. It's nice to see early Bogie even if his role diminishes late.

They Drive By Night captures the seedy and often dangerous world of the truck driver; the lack of sleep, the long distances to travel, the time missed with family, the comradery between truckers. The movie definitely highlights the dangers of trucking from the risk of falling asleep at the wheel, which in part lends itself to one very thrilling action sequence. With Warner Bros being the master of social commentary pictures, I enjoy movies like this which give you an insight into the lives of the lower class at the time; people trying to get by a day at a time with clearly little money to spare.Thirty minutes into the picture we meet Ida Lupino, in my view possibly the epitome of the tough dame. Talk about a star making performance, she owns the show as soon as she enters the picture. Every time she is in frame it's hard to take your eyes of her as struts, poses and applies makeup to herself, even when her comedic foil of a husband Alan Hale is in frame acting like a buffoon. Her most notable scene in the film is one of the greatest, most gloriously over the top on screen breakdowns ever committed to film. Charles Manson blamed The Beatles, Ida Lupino blamed the doors. Seeing Bogart as a family man is odd at first, the total opposite of his persona he would have in films such as those with Lauren Bacall. But he fits comfortably into the role, showing how adaptable an actor he was. George Raft is the weakest player out of the four stars, I've never saw Raft as much of an actor, but playing alongside these heavyweights manages to bring out the best in him.What is the overall plot of They Drive By Night? There isn't one; there's no three act structure. It's almost like getting two movies for the price of one, with the first half focusing on trucking and the second half focusing on a murder. Comparing the two you wouldn't think this is the same movie, but the odd combination works and makes for a unique viewing experience.

Wow! Ida Luppino gives a memorable performance in this Humphrey Bogart, George Raft film.Ida was such an under-rated actress. What did she have to do to win an Oscar yet alone be nominated? That's right, Ida Luppino was never nominated for an Oscar even though she would win the New York City Film Critics award in 1942 for "The Hard Way." Unbelievable!In this film she plays the frustrated wife of truck owner Alan Hale. Trapped in a bad marriage, she desires for lust but certainly can't get that from the happy-go-lucky Hale. When the Bogart-Raft brothers come to work for Hale, Luppino thinks she has found romance with one of the brothers. She decides to end her marriage by killing Hale with gas fumes from his car.When spurned by her suitor, she allows him to be blamed for Hale's death.Her crack-up scene in court at film's end must be one of the greatest scenes filmed on screen. Hysterically shouting that the doors made her do it, Luppino proved one again that she was one of Hollywood's greatest femme fatales.Ann Sheridan proved her mettle in the film as well. This picture was sort of a warm up for two years later for Sheridan, when she made a hit as Ronald Reagan's girl friend in the 1942 memorable "King's Row."

Is 'They Drive By Night' an early film-noir? Is it just a straight melodrama? A David and Goliath social drama? Raoul Walsh never really pinpoints exactly what message 'They Drive By Night' is supposed to drive home, yet that doesn't matter. This is a cracking film with great performances, direction, visuals and script. An unknown gem of 40's film-making.Raft gives possibly the best performance of his career here as Joe Fabrini. Bogart plays a supporting role as his brother Paul. Running a trucking business in California, they are trying to stake out a living in the face of corrupt business men and shady dealings. Walsh seems to be making a comment here on big business and it's effects on the little guy. However, his edgy social criticism seems to evaporate as we move into the more interesting stretch of the film- the intertwining of melodrama and film noir.The pair pick up an out-of-work waitress, who just happens to be pretty redhead Ann Sheridan. Several juicy lines later Joe is falling for her. Their happiness is disrupted by the meddling of Ida Lupino as the brassy Lana, wife of trucking boss Ed Carlson. And this is where the real fun starts.Lupino is a firecracker in her role! She's the femme fatale of the tale as we again switch genres and veer into traditional noir territory. The double-crossing dame Lupino, fueled by a psychotic obsession for Raft, is ready to kill to get her man. She's delicious in her role, parading around in furs, taking angry puffs on a habitual cigarette and scheming, scheming, scheming. Melodrama soon ensues, as an untimely death makes trouble for all the characters.All this drama culminates in an excellent courtroom finale, with Lupino's memorable line 'The doors made me do it!' and acting being melodramatic by today's standards but still very, very good