They Live by Night
Director: Nicholas Ray
Year Released: 1949
Rating: 3.0
A callow thug (Farley Granger) gets roped in with several dodgy bank robbers (including the fantastically slimy Howard Da Silva) and has to flee with gal-pal Cathy O'Donnell to evade The Law after Things Go (Predictably) Bad. As far as lovers-on-the-lam movies go, this one is a cut above: it's efficient, has memorable side characters and there's real chemistry between Granger and O'Donnell - she'd clearly go to the dark end of the night with him (and does). There's a minor upbeat consolation at the end - O'Donnell pregnant with Granger's child - though everyone else is obviously doomed.
