Overview
Two brothers fight against the odds to keep their trucking business afloat amidst corruption and tragedy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- gritty
- hard-boiled
- propulsive
- classic movie night
- film noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a tough, highly entertaining example of hard-boiled film noir with strong commercial momentum.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Fabrini brothers struggle against corrupt businessmen, crushing competition, and exploitative working conditions.
The trucking operation faces pressure from corrupt businessmen and intense competition for fruit-hauling contracts.
Long-haul trucking, California highways, truck stops, and fatigue-related danger structure the film's world.
The brothers drive long hours, and a witnessed death caused by falling asleep at the wheel transforms their goals.
Films like They Drive by Night, and why
The Roaring Twenties
shared film noir atmosphere, working-class pressure, and crime-inflected melodrama
High Sierra
shared hard-boiled crime storytelling, fatalism, and Warner Bros. noir style
Bordertown
shared Depression-era labor struggle, dangerous mobility, and socially grounded drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Raoul Walsh
- Release Date
- 1940-07-26
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (139)
Cast
- George Raft
- Ann Sheridan
- Ida Lupino
- Humphrey Bogart
- Gale Page
- Alan Hale
- Roscoe Karns
- Joyce Compton
- John Litel
- George Tobias
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is They Drive by Night about?
- Two California trucking brothers battle ruthless competition and lethal exhaustion while trying to turn their struggling business into a path toward independence.
- What is They Drive by Night like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of They Drive by Night as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is They Drive by Night violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in They Drive by Night as mild.
- What did critics think of They Drive by Night?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a tough, highly entertaining example of hard-boiled film noir with strong commercial momentum.
- Which films are like They Drive by Night?
- Films with a similar feel include The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra, and Bordertown.
- How long is They Drive by Night?
- They Drive by Night runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch They Drive by Night?
- In United States, They Drive by Night is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
