They Drive by Night

film by Walsh [1940]

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July 21, 2026

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They Drive by Night is a 1940 American film noir directed by Raoul Walsh. The movie begins as a story about two brothers struggling in the trucking business, with Humphrey Bogart and George Raft in the lead roles. However, the plot shifts midway through to become a murder mystery. The film is noted for its atmospheric portrayal of the trucking industry and its noir elements.1

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- Raoul Walsh
  At Warner Brothers: The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra, and White Heat
  They Drive by Night (1940) began as a flavorful story of two brothers’ (Humphrey Bogart and Raft, surprisingly well matched) struggles in the trucking business but shifted halfway through to become a murder story (taken in part from Archie Mayo’s Bordertown [1935]).
  Read More
  They Drive by Night (1940) began as a flavorful story of two brothers’ (Humphrey Bogart and Raft, surprisingly well matched) struggles in the trucking business but shifted halfway through to become a murder story (taken in part from Archie Mayo’s Bordertown [1935]).
  Read More