In the Post-World War II, in Los Angeles, a criminal shots and kills a police officer in the middle of the night. Without any leads, the chief of the LAPD assigns Sgt. Chuck Jones and Sgt. Marty Brennan to investigate the murder and apprehend the culprits. When the dealer of electronics devices, Paul Reeves, is caught selling a stolen projector, the police identifies the criminal, and connects him to other unsolved robberies. Using the witnesses of his heists, they draw their face, but the true identity of the smart and intelligent criminal is not disclosed. The perseverance of Sgt. Marty Brennan in his investigation gives a clue where he might live.
罪犯都很了解警察，可警察总不了解罪犯。对罪犯的刻画比较现实，对警察的刻画像是刑侦纪实片。自罪犯拼图开始好看起来，最后15分钟的围堵一定或多或少影响了《第三个人》和《狙击手》。杰克.韦伯演的法医戏少但特有戏~
7/10。安东尼曼拍摄谋杀和肉体暴力的视觉风格鲜明耀眼：一张面孔从黑云散开后浮现，丢弃偷窃电器店的作案工具并射杀盘问者，杀手大汗淋漓地包扎枪伤，旅馆房间内网状线条犹如法网恢恢，雾汽水光、催泪瓦斯、手电筒和倒影增添空间立体感的管道追逐堪称杰作，回归不了社会的退伍士兵是常见黑色电影反派。
这才是正宗的“白夜行”——男主生活里唯一的光亮来自打着手电向他走来的警察。警务线抽丝剥茧挺冷静也挺有趣的；罪犯线更多是镜头说话，大赞两场对峙的紧张感（后一场由小狗叫声的变化暗示危机逼近）。Alton神一样的镜头。唯一的缺憾是男主缺少个性和历史，开始以为是技术宅，结果就是个反社会变态。
双重的“灯下黑”：嫌犯可能来自警局内部，虽然未必一定是纯正的警察身份；藏身地点可在大街之下四通八达的城市下水道管网，此概念的提出要早过英伦经典第三人……本片从题材来看就是一部标准体的警宣维安电影，可经Noir大师安东尼曼的风格渲染之后，故事的趣味性可看性猛增！特别是曼所擅长的黑色光影和纵向空间。
