poe426 THIEVES' HIGHWAY is one of the earliest road movies and, no two ways about it, one of the best. Jules Dassin surprises again with his own unique way of approaching a scene (the opening scene between Conte and his father, for example, or the scene where Conte lies pinned beneath his rig). Like WAGES OF FEAR, THIEVES' HIGHWAY never veers too far off course and we're along for the ride, riding shotgun- the best place to be in a road movie. Lee J. Cobb is on hand, warming up for his role in ON THE WATERFRONT, and my favorite scene in THIEVES' HIGHWAY is the barroom brawl, wherein Conte hammers Cobb senseless beneath a framed picture of Heavyweight Champion Bob Fitzsimmons. (Having earned a very meager living as a cab driver, I can relate to Conte's character's plight: when I collapsed in a service station parking lot one night- from a medical condition I didn't know I had, called "occult blood"- I had a guy try to pick my pocket quite literally while I was flat on my face. I stopped him by grabbing his wrist. He released my roll of bills- mostly ones- and kicked me in the head. There's ALWAYS somebody waiting to take advantage of a man when he's down...) (Prior to that, I'd written a three-day novel titled HACKS about cab-driving that could've served as the basis for a low budget independent feature itself.)

ehrldawg A returning war vet becomes a truck driver to avenge the maiming of his father.This is an outstanding movie. Written by the same person who wrote "They Drive By Night" (1941),A.I. Bezzerides. This tells the story of the cutthroat business of trucking, which still persist today. I definitely reacted when Richard Conte left his exposed truck load for a couple hours with a strange woman. Im screaming,"Some ones gonna take your cargo and strip your truck." But as we learn that was part of the plan. This was well written,acted, and directed.Millard Mitchell dives the Mack big truck.Richard Conte drives the Studebaker big truck.Joseph Peveny and Jack Oakie drive a separate Syudebaker big truck.Millard Mitchell,Richard Conte,Joseph Pevny, and Jack Oakie were permanent A list actors.Valentina Cortese,Barbara Lawrence, and Tamara Shayne were hot!!Joseph Pevenys' performance was outstanding!!!erldwgstruckermovies.com

christopher-underwood Absolutely sensational thriller from Jules Dassin and starring Richard Conte on top form. One would not have imagined that a film revolving around the apple trade would be even the slightest bit interesting but this is a stunner. The tension is so extreme at times that the film is barely watchable and the humour at others so broad we think of Laurel and Hardy. The script from A J Bezzerides based upon his original book is articulate, intelligent, funny and political and with such blistering dialogue and faultless direction and camera work, including trademark montages, this movie never pauses for breath. We even get sizzling non explicit sex scenes courtesy of the lead and an equally stunning performance from Valentina Cortesa. Just wait for the late scene when the aforementioned lady declares in full sarcastic mode, 'Aren't women wonderful'. I gasped and you will too - see it now!

seymourblack-1 "Thieves' Highway" is a gripping tale about an ex-ship's mechanic who returns home from abroad and how his initial optimism transforms into disillusion, a quest for revenge and ultimately recognition of his own need to adapt in order to survive in an environment in which corruption and double dealing are the norm.After Nick Garcos (Richard Conte) returns home to his family and girlfriend, he's soon shocked to discover that his father Yanko (Morris Carnovsky) has been crippled as a result of a truck accident. Furthermore, he's told that the "accident" had been rigged by unscrupulous produce trader Mike Figlia (Lee J Cobb) who'd also swindled Yanko out of the payment he was due for the delivery of a consignment of tomatoes. Nick then decides to go into business with trucker Ed Kinney (Millard Mitchell) so that he can get the opportunity to make a profit and also hopefully take revenge on Figlia for his part in Yanko's misfortune.Nick uses his savings to buy a crop of top quality Golden Delicious apples and Ed reneges on a deal he'd had with two fellow truckers and they set off in two trucks to transport their fruit to San Francisco. Their journey is expected to be exhausting as it involves driving for over 36 hours without sleep, however, other problems add to the dangers that they have to confront. First, one of Nick's tyres gets punctured and when he parks in a sandy area and jacks the vehicle up, it gradually sinks down on top of him and traps him underneath. Fortunately, Ed is following and is able to release him and change the wheel so that he can continue his journey. The two truckers Slob (Jack Oakie) and Pete (Joseph Pevney) who Ed had previously been connected with, also travel the same route to San Francisco and follow a short distance behind. Later, unknown to Nick, Ed's truck develops a mechanical problem which leads to a crash and a fire in which Ed perishes and his cargo is scattered around the area near the wreckage.In San Francisco, after Nick has parked close to Figlia's depot, he's approached by a hooker named Rica (Valentina Cortese) who offers him a place to rest in her nearby apartment. He accepts but later discovers that she'd been paid by Figlia and that the racketeer was unloading and selling Nick's apples to the public for a good price.Nick invites his girlfriend Polly (Barbara Lawrence) to come to join him so that they can get married but when she arrives and discovers that Nick has been robbed by two of Figlia's henchmen, she promptly leaves him. Nick is told by Slob about Ed's crash and also that Figlia and Pete had gone to the scene of the accident to salvage whatever they could of Ed's consignment of apples. Nick and Slob follow and after a tense confrontation with Figlia, Nick goes on to overcome both his business and romantic setbacks."Thieves' Highway" contains plenty of action and also some great moments of tension such as when Nick is trapped under his truck. The hardships and the dangers of a trucker's job are also depicted very realistically and convincingly and the sequences on the road which show the debilitating and disorientating consequences of extreme tiredness are also particularly effective.The amount of swindling, corruption and violence that are such a routine part of the daily experience of people caught up in the fruit business comes over as a condemnation of the unlawful and immoral consequences of unrestrained capitalism, however, Nick's experience seems to lead him to the conclusion that scheming, deceptions and betrayals (such as that of the materialistic Polly) are absolutely everywhere and are just a normal, albeit deplorable, part of human activity.Richard Conte gives a powerful performance in which he conveys his character's anger and determination with great intensity and conviction and Lee J Cobb is also excellent as the odious Figlia.