Thieves' Highway (1949)

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

A.I. Bezzerides (screenplay)
A.I. Bezzerides (novel)

Release Date:

10 October 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

Rackets Ride The Roads!

Plot:

A war-veteran-turned-truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of an amoral produce scofflaw. |

Plot Keywords:

Trucks | Transport | Big City | Produce | Road Accident

Cast

Richard Conte	...	Nick Garcos
Valentina Cortese	...	Rica (as Valentina Cortesa)
Lee J. Cobb	...	Mike Figlia
Barbara Lawrence	...	Polly Faber
Jack Oakie	...	Slob
Millard Mitchell	...	Ed Prentiss
Joseph Pevney	...	Pete
Morris Carnovsky	...	Yanko Garcos
Tamara Shayne	...	Parthena Garcos
Kasia Orzazewski	...	Mrs. Polansky, the Apple Farmer's Wife
Norbert Schiller	...	Mr. Polansky, the Apple Farmer
Hope Emerson	...	Midge, a buyer

Also Known As:

Collision (USA) (working title)
Hard Bargain (USA) (working title)
The Thieves' Market (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #13530) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to director Jules Dassin, 'Jack Okie' was completely deaf by the time of this film. "He caused absolutely no delays," Dassin said.

Quotes:

Mike Figlia: Everything happens to me. The whole street, he's gotta break down in front of my place.
Charles, dock henchman: Tough luck.
Mike Figlia: I'm the original tough luck kid.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Fast and the Furious (1955)

a late bloom in market maturity through a long fuse of revenge

A lovely, richly nuanced tale of an edgy middle-age boy belatedly growing into manhood, Thieves' Highway features an understated star turn by Richard Conte as WWII combat vet Nick Garcos, against scene-chewing villainy by Lee J. Cobb as the corrupt produce wholesaler Mike Figlia. Among its numerous excellences, enjoy lapidary character development by Morris Carnovsky and Tamara Shayne as Nick's parents Yanko and Parthena; gruff and subtle supporting turns by Millard Mitchell as Ed Prentiss, his ill-fated partner in a spontaneous trucking venture, and Jack Oakie and Joseph Pevney as Slob and Pete, their ruthless, yet ultimately scrupulous competitors; and deceit and counterfeit by Valentina Cortese and Barbara Lawrence as Rica and Polly Faber, the whore and the madonna vying for Nick's favors at different times, in different ways, and for wildly different reasons. Jules Dassin's filmed version of Albert Isaac "Buzz" Bezzerides' socially responsive novel resonates with the allegory of a tough yet guileless prole losing his innocence and earning his place in the ruthless capitalist continuum between commerce and crime. The Criterion Collection DVD, short on extras, delivers on quality.