When movie buffs or even casual fans tend to think of the late, great Humphrey Bogart, immediately called to mind are images from his more famous films like Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. Some of his lesser known works don't seem to get the respect that they deserve so it was with great pleasure that I found Warner Bros. had released one of his earlier diamonds in the rough, Raoul Walsh's They Drive By Night from 1940, in which Bogie stars as more of a supporting character cast alongside the leads, George Raft, Ann Sheridan, and Ida Lupino.

George Raft and Humphrey Bogart play two brothers, Joe and Paul Fabrini, who do their best to earn a living running a trucking agency in California. Most of the time their product is simple material like fruit and vegetables, which they transport from the local farms to the big city markets. Times are tough all over though, and the Fabrini Brothers are no exception. Together they work damn hard to get their bills paid on time and keep themselves in business. Despite some intense pressure from some less than pure businessmen and a very competitive market, they do OK, but eventually, as times get even tougher, they have to work longer and longer hours.

One night, while on the road, the pair pick up a hitchhiking waitress named Cassie. She's just quit her job taking orders at a local roadside truck stop and has finally had her fill. Eventually, Joe is forced to go work for the competition (I'm leaving the reasons why intentionally vague so as not to spoil the movie). Things get way more complicated than Joe ever figured they would as his new bosses wife turns out to be a bit of a handful who has more plans for him than he'd maybe like to acknowledge.

With sold performances from Raft and Bogart and a stand out acting job from Ida Lupino (who, according to the back of the DVD box, won a studio contract based on her role here as the boss' wife, Lana Carlson) who does an amazing job in her courtroom breakdown scene.

Solid direction from Walsh, who would work with Bogart a year later in High Sierra, keeps the film looking good and tense enough that it's never boring and you always want to know what happens next.

While it isn't a truly great film in the same vein that the aforementioned Casablanca is, They Drive By Night is a solid drama with some nice tense moments, solid performances from a stand out cast, and a nice look throughout that makes it an easy recommendation.

Video:

Fullframe is what we've got here, but that's how it was shot and so this is the original intended theatrical ratio preserved here on the DVD. Detail is quite sharp save for a few moments that are a tad fuzzier but overall, despite some very minor print damage and an instance or two of very, very slight edge enhancement, this is a pretty nice looking presentation we've got here.