Review of They Live by Night (1949) by Timothy M — 03 Dec 2010

Excellent. Puts Altman's later adaptation, [i]Thieves Like Us[/i] to shame - interesting, considering that Farley Granger isn't much of an actor. But he does have chemistry with Cathy O'Donnell, oddly enough.

The real star of the show is Ray, who manages to hit every beat pretty much dead on without ever being obtrusive or showy. One of the more interesting choices is his continual usage of aerial shots whenever Bowie is high-tailing it in an automobile.

A forerunner to [i]Bonnie & Clyde[/i] - in some respects, I like it a little better, even if Penn's classic is the superior effort overall.