BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Gerardrobertson61 This is a great movie and one I really enjoyed. The cast are all excellent with Ida Lupino being a stand out principle. The story about 2 brothers hauling across the States is gripping story mixed with a bit of humour, drama and murder. Ida Lupino's court room scene is memorable as she tries to lie her way out. Along with excellent performances by a great supporting actors including Alan Hale as the jolly happy trucking company owner and Roscoe Karns as the humorous Irish. This is not a Humprey Bogart movie, his big break was to come in his next movie, but he delivers along fine performance alongside George Raft. I really enjoyed this movie.

seymourblack-1 "They Drive By Night" is an entertaining movie with an unpredictable plot, some witty dialogue and lots of action that's delivered at a lively pace. What begins as an account of the trials and tribulations experienced by a couple of freelance truckers later (and rather surprisingly) develops into an intriguing drama which involves infatuation, murder and a predatory femme fatale who's played brilliantly by Ida Lupino.The Fabrini brothers, Joe (George Raft) and Paul (Humphrey Bogart) are a couple of truckers who struggle hard to become successful independent operators so that they can be their own bosses. They routinely transport perishable goods from farms in the country to dealers in the city markets but their work is hard, the hours are long and the rewards are very uncertain. Trying to make progress proves difficult as they contend with problems caused by accidents, unscrupulous dealers and living under the constant threat of having their truck repossessed. When they eventually make some headway and pay off the truck, misfortune strikes again when Paul falls asleep at the wheel and their vehicle is wrecked. Joe suffers only superficial injuries but Paul's are more extensive and result in him losing his right arm.After the accident the brothers are no longer able to continue in business but Joe has the good fortune to be offered a management job in a trucking business run by Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale). Joe's relationship with Cassie (Ann Sheridan), who he first met as a waitress in a roadside diner, has also developed and things seem to be going well for him.It soon becomes clear, however, that Joe's good fortune comes with serious complications attached. He'd initially been offered his job because Ed's considerably younger wife Lana (Ida Lupino) had pulled the strings. She was obsessed with Joe and desperately wanted him to be her lover. When her repeated attempts to seduce him fail because of his loyalty to Ed and Cassie, Lana removes what she considers to be the main obstacle to her ambitions by killing her husband. The circumstances of Ed's death are made to appear accidental and Lana appears to be in the clear when the local D.A. has no reason to believe that any foul play was involved. Inevitably, however, there are other interesting developments before the story finally reaches its conclusion.The two brothers at the centre of the story are quite different as Joe is very ambitious, focused and not at all deterred by any of the difficulties that they encounter. Paul, on the other hand, finds the work exhausting and only stays with the business out of loyalty to Joe. When they're on their journeys, Paul misses his wife who would prefer him to do a more regular job where his working hours would be more reasonable and his income would be more reliable.George Raft and Humphrey Bogart are both convincing in their roles and Ann Sheridan provides good support as Joe's girlfriend who can be witty and entertaining but also uses her toughness and sharp tongue to control their relationship. Ida Lupino is terrific from the time that she first appears on screen as the acquisitive and manipulative Lana who is prepared to stop at nothing to get what she wants. Her performance continues relentlessly at this level throughout the remainder of the movie and she makes an indelible impression as the incredibly evil femme fatale.

Lechuguilla In a story about the over-the-road trucking business, two wildcat truckers, named Joe (George Raft) and Paul (Humphrey Bogart) haul apples, pears, and lemons, enduring hardship and erratic wages. Joe and Paul are the brothers Fabrini, and they dream of being independent from the big boss man.A Depression-era story set in California, "They Drive By Night" taps into the theme of hard-working Americans who can't make a decent wage, as a result of greedy corporations. In a roadside diner, Paul expresses their frustration: "Hey, why do we stay in this racket? We aren't going to make enough out of it to buy ourselves decent coffins". But Joe and Paul are tough dudes, and they're honest. And they've got their dames, waiting either at home or in their dreams.The film's plot starts out okay with lots of highway action. But the midpoint plot turn sends the film hurling in an unfortunate direction. Enter Lana Carlsen (Ida Lupino), the irritatingly angry wife of a wealthy and irritatingly jovial corporate boss. The film's first and second halves are like two completely different films, each with a different focus, different tone, different style. The first half is gritty and noir-based. The second half is perfunctory.The script is very talky. The best dialogue comes near the beginning when Ann Sheridan, playing a cynical waitress, tosses some really good zingers.Characters are mildly interesting, except for the dreadful Lana Carlsen, whom I didn't like at all. Sue Carter (Joyce Compton) offers minor comic relief. And Ann Sheridan is a delight to watch.Production design ranges from dirty and gritty in the first half to elegant and snazzy in the second. Those trucks the guys drive look like something out of "The Grapes Of Wrath" (1940). B&W cinematography is pleasantly dark in the first half, routine in the second.The story's theme is appropriate for the era in which the film was made. But the plot is terribly bifocal. The viewer almost gets two films for the price of one.

OutsideHollywoodLand They Drive By Night shows the tough and tight world of truckers, circa 1940. George Raft and Humphrey Bogart play the Fabrini brothers, Joe and Paul, who live in a world of long distance driving across the country's winding roads, cozy diners, smart-talking waitresses, and the camaraderie of their fellow truckers. George Raft gives a solid performance as Joe Fabrini, who's driven by his dream of owning his own truck one day, and answering to no one. Humphrey Bogart as Paul Fabrini, is more comfortable with his lot, yet would literally give his right arm in service to his brother's dreams. Always one step ahead of frustrated bill collectors and the wrath of their bosses, the scrappy and wise-cracking Fabrini brothers are a popular duo on the road. Along the way, Joe meets a waitress, Cassie, (a lovely Ann Sheridan) who sparkles through his gritty world, slinging snappy backtalk and steak with the best of them. Gale Page delivers as Pearl Fabrini, the devoted wife of Paul, who is weary of seeing her husband drive off into the sunrise after a few scant hours of domestic bliss. Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, and George Tobias round out the cast. Yet all eyes are riveted on Ida Lupino, who steals the show with her tour-de-force performance as bitter and ill-tempered Lana, who stops at nothing to get her man – in this case our boy, Joe. Whether carping about Joe's clothes and lack of attention or sniping at her working class husband, Ed, Lupino hammers the point home that hell than no fury like a woman in heat who is ignored. The unforgettable moment comes during the climatic courtroom scene, which is strictly vintage Lupino all the way. This black-and-white classic, skillfully directed by veteran Raoul Walsh (White Heat, The Strawberry Blonde, Sadie Thompson, What Price Glory), has many film noir elements, but is too optimistic in this reviewer's opinion to be assigned a place within the noir library. The screenplay by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay, moves along at a steady pace, full of good humor, drama, and thrills. And you'll never look at an automatic garage door the same way again!