They Live by Night (The Twisted Road) (1949)

100% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
82% of users liked it
(964 ratings)

"This boy...and this girl...were never properly introduced to the world we live in." With this superimposed opening title, director Nicholas Ray inaugurates his first feature, They Live by Night. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell play a "Bonnie and Clyde"-type fugitive couple, who in trying to… More "This boy...and this girl...were never properly introduced to the world we live in." With this superimposed opening title, director Nicholas Ray inaugurates his first feature, They Live by Night. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell play a "Bonnie and Clyde"-type fugitive couple, who in trying to escape their past are hell-bent down the road to Doom. Despite their criminal activities, Bowie (Granger) and Keechie (O'Donnell) are hopelessly naïve, fabricating their own idyllic dream world as the authorities close in. The entrapment -- both actual and symbolic -- of the young misfit couple can now be seen as a precursor to the dilemma facing James Dean in Ray's 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. A box-office disappointment upon its first release, They Live by Night has since gained stature as one of the most sensitive and least-predictable entries in the film noir genre. The film was based on a novel by Edward Anderson, and in 1974 was filmed by Robert Altman under its original title, Thieves Like Us. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Nicholas Ray
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Aug 1, 1948 Wide
On DVD: Jul 31, 2007

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
There's no attempt at sugarcoating a happy ending, and yarn moves towards its inevitable, tragic climax without compromise.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Although it -- like others -- is misguided in its sympathies for a youthful crook, this crime-and-compassion melodrama has the virtues of vigor and restraint.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
A key film noir of the 40s, this was Nicholas Ray's first film as a director (1949), and the freshness of his expressionist-documentary style is still apparent and gripping.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
A cinema of anxiety and sensuality, with a streak of instability and a peculiar combination of the folksy and the Cocteau-abstract
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Nicholas Ray established himself as a major talent to watch with his feature debut, one of the best noirs of the 1940s as well as a lyrical variation on the theme of lovers on the run, splendidly played by Granger and O'Donnell.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
One of the greatest debut features in movie history.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Passionate, lyrical, and imaginative, it's a remarkably assured debut, from the astonishing opening helicopter shot that follows the escaped convicts' car to freedom, to the final, inexorably tragic climax.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Ray's plaintive artistry lends this weepy noir a melancholic beauty.
, Film4
Ray writes and directs with easy assurance, propelling the plot forward to its unbearably doomy, inevitable conclusion.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Nicholas Ray's (Rebel Without A Cause) debut feature is a gem.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Beautifully acted, They Live by Night stands today as one of the most poignant and unforgettable noirs ever made.

Read all 11 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Jonathan H

A little too sentimental for my taste, but the film's influence is clearly apparent. Nicolas Ray's sympathy for criminals and of youth culture is on full display, and his innovative overhead helicopter shots is impressive (especially considering that, at the time, using… More
A little too sentimental for my taste, but the film's influence is clearly apparent. Nicolas Ray's sympathy for criminals and of youth culture is on full display, and his innovative overhead helicopter shots is impressive (especially considering that, at the time, using those shots were only used for establishing shots, not to follow action). A clear precursor to Bonnie and Clyde and many famous "love on the run" films.
Stella D

it might be the first film noir i ever saw. anyway i remember it fondly. rip bowie
jay n

Solid noir is full of despair but well told and acted with assurance.
Randy T

Teen angst in the tradition of <i>Rebel Without a Cause</i> but wrapped in the guise of a <i>Bonnie & Clyde</i>-ish crime drama. Good stuff!
Ken S

Mostly Meh. and Farley Granger is wicked miscast extra 1/2 star bonus for the camera work
Michael G

I was expecting a little bit more than a Bonnie and Clyde, jr. And not so much Bonnie either. With the exception of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, Farley Granger always had that "deer in the headlights" or scared rodent quality about him. They Live By Night asks you… More
I was expecting a little bit more than a Bonnie and Clyde, jr. And not so much Bonnie either. With the exception of Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, Farley Granger always had that "deer in the headlights" or scared rodent quality about him. They Live By Night asks you to believe him as a leading man. I didn't entirely buy it and I think that's a big part of the problem with this movie. I didn't mind it, but I didn't love it.
Anastasia B

You gotta love those classics! "They live by night"is yet another reason why you should. Even though it might get a bit melodramatic at moments for my own standards, by any other standards it's one of the movies that defined film-noir, future-to-come road movies and… More
You gotta love those classics! "They live by night"is yet another reason why you should. Even though it might get a bit melodramatic at moments for my own standards, by any other standards it's one of the movies that defined film-noir, future-to-come road movies and that always desired but never realised "escape to Mexico". Nicholas Ray does a robust job directing it, O'Donnel and Granger work out swell as a couple and there you have it, a film that any romantic oughts to see.

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Cathy O'Donnell as Keechie

            Farley Granger as Bowie

            Howard Da Silva as Chickamaw

            Jay C. Flippen as T-Dub

            Helen Craig as Mattie

            Will Wright as Mobley

            Marie Bryant as Singer

            Ian Wolfe as Hawkins

            William Phipps as Young Farmer

            Lewis Charles as Parking Lot Attendant

            Curt Conway as Man in Tuxedo

            Suzi Crandall as Lulu

            Boyd Davis as Herman

            Gail Davis as Girl at Parking Lot

            James Dobson as Boy at Parking Lot

            Ralph Dunn as Policeman

            Frank Ferguson as Bum

            Byron Foulger as Lambert

            Fred Graham as Motorcycle Cop

            Eula Guy as Mrs. Havilland

            Harry Harvey as Hagenheimer

            Teddy Infur as Alvin

            J. Louis Johnson as Porter

            Chester Jones as Waiter in Nightclub

            Kate Lawson as Tillie

            Will Lee as Jeweler

            Frank Marlowe as Mattie's Husband

            Myra Marsh as Mrs. Schaeffer

            Charles Meredith as Commissioner Hubbell

            Carmen Morales as Mother

            Jimmy Moss as Boy

            Jim Nolan as Schreiber

            Erskine Sanford as Doctor

            Mickey Simpson as Shadow

            Lynn Whitney as Waitress

            Stanley Prager as Short Order Man

            Douglas Williams as Drunk

            Guy Beach as Plumber

            Dan Foster as Groom

            Russ Whiteman as Man

            Jane Allen as People

            Helen Crozier as Nurse

            Marilyn Mercer as Bride

            Tom Kennedy as Cop-Bumper Gag
See full cast