Victor Mature's permanent anguished scowl is perfect for this gritty working class drama, which is very similar to Hell Drivers. However, instead of the annoying juvenile Peggy Cummins, we have Diana Dors in full screen goddess mode.
Mature plays Harry Miller, a discharged US Army veteran based in England. He is married to dependable, dowdy Connie who is reluctant to accompany him back to the States. To placate her, Harry agrees to move to Liverpool and take a driving job with her uncle's haulage firm.
On his first run to Glasgow, Harry is double-teamed with Casey. When they park at a truck stop Harry notices two men unloading stuff from Casey's truck. They laugh at him when he remonstrates with them and a fight ensues. Casey appears and hustles Harry away, later explaining that he is in cahoots with the men and receives payment for turning a blind eye. Touting for a return load at the offices of Joe Easy in Glasgow, the two men recognise Harry and he is deliberately . overlooked. Wanting to complain he goes to Joe's office and finds his glamorous girlfriend Lynn (Dors) sitting at his desk. And boy! Can she sit! Harry gets beaten up for his trouble and Lynn helps him, starting the chemistry. Trying to get Harry on side Joe (Patrick Allen) meets him at the truckstop offering him cash to come in on the racket he is running. Lynn bursts in wearing evening clothes. She's tired of waiting. Joe slaps her around tearing her dress, to the enjoyment of the truckers present. Humiliated she flees and gets into Harry's truck and they end up spending the night together. When Harry's truck is stolen from outside the hotel, he figures it was all a setup and angrily sends her away. He quickly realises his mistake and resumes the relationship, even getting involved with Easy's scheme. However, he is becoming more and more estranged from Connie and his son, feeling that they have held him back. Connie guesses he is seeing someone else but he says he is ending the affair for the sake of his son Butch. In an angry exchange, Connie reveals that Butch is not his son but was fathered by Harry's army buddy Al, who used to live with them. This is one of the most unexpectedly emotional scenes in the film, a reversal of the usual situation, exposing male hypocrisy. Typically, Harry storms out and agrees to Easy's latest scheme, to smuggle a consignment of furs across Scotland onto a ship in a secluded bay. The trials of the vintage Leyland Octopus over highland tracks have to be seen to believed. Naturally skullduggery takes place but eventually. Harry realises that family is the most important thing and says goodbye to Lynn who is last seen in the back of a taxi en-route to the sleazy night club where she used to work.
This movie has a lot to offer. Just seeing examples of classic British trucks will please many, plus views of fifties Liverpool and Glasgow docks. Patrick Allen has just the menacing presence for a convincing villain. Witness how he callously guns down Lynn's brother. And, despite their received on-screen personas, the principals can both act, particularly Diana. If you take the time to listen instead of just looking! As usual there is a host of British character actors making up the roster. A top class Britfilm!
Review of The Long Haul
