Synopsis
An escaped convict, injured during a robbery, falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.
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Cast
- Cathy O'DonnellCatherine "Keechie" Mobley
- Farley GrangerArthur "Bowie" Bowers
- Howard Da SilvaChicamaw One-Eye Mobley
- Jay C. FlippenHenry "T-Dub" Mansfield
- Helen CraigMattie
- Will WrightMobley
- William PhippsYoung Farmer
- Ian WolfeHawkins
- Harry HarveyHagenheimer
- Marie BryantSinger
Recommendations
- 100
TV Guide Magazine
Beautifully acted, They Live By Night stands today as one of the most poignant and unforgettable noirs ever made. - 100
Chicago Tribune
It's permeated with a sweetness and vulnerability unusual for any crime movie. [29 May 1998, p.N] - 91
The A.V. Club
It’s a précis of the human condition, in other words—beguiling and heartbreaking. - 90
Chicago Reader
A key film noir of the 40s, this was Nicholas Ray's first film as a director, and the freshness of his expressionist-documentary style is still apparent and gripping. - 83
The A.V. Club
It's a strikingly poetic first feature, more about the naïve romance between young hoodlum Granger and his reluctant nursemaid Cathy O'Donnell than it is about robbing banks and dodging cops. - 80
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. - 80
Variety
Nicholas Ray adapted the novel and directed, demonstrating a complete understanding of the characters. It’s a firstrate job of moody storytelling. - 75
Slant Magazine
Ray’s plaintive artistry lends this weepy noir a melancholic beauty.
