Highway 301 (1950)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Andrew L. Stone

Writer:

Andrew L. Stone (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 December 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Plot:

A vicious gang of armed robbers, led by a psychotic killer, terrorizes the tri-state area of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, robbing banks and payrolls and murdering at will, especially women. |

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Gunshot Wound | Beautiful Woman | Carjacking | Robbery

Cast

Steve Cochran	...	George Legenza
Virginia Grey	...	Mary Simms
Gaby André	...	Lee Fontaine (as Gaby Andre)
Edmon Ryan	...	Detective Sgt. Truscott / Narrator
Robert Webber	...	William B. Phillips
Wally Cassell	...	Robert Mais
Aline Towne	...	Madeline Welton
Richard Egan	...	Herbie Brooks
Edward Norris	...	Noyes, Gang Driver
Gov. John S. Battle	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William P. Lane Jr.	...	Himself (as Gov. William P. Lane Jr.)
W. Kerr Scott	...	Himself (as Gov. W. Kerr Scott)

Also Known As:

The Big Stickup
The Two Million Dollar Bank Robbery (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | Sweden:(Banned) (1951-1963) | Sweden:15 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Debut of Robert Webber.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in True Romance (1993)

Rip-roaring retro

HIGHWAY 301 is a rip-roaring Warner Brothers return to their hard-hitting early 1930s gangster cycle complete with a "Crime Does Not Pay" prologue delivered by the governors of the three states the events take place in. Filmed in a semi-documentary style with sporadic voice-over narration, the tale is based on "cold, hard fact" and is surprisingly sadistic -which could be the reason why I never saw it on TV growing up. Like many good crime melodramas, H301 opens with a bank robbery and follows the gang and their molls as they live life on the run and I was reminded of 1967's BONNIE & CLYDE in its depiction of a "family" of outlaws contending with pressures from within as they're relentlessly pursued by the long arm of the law. The brutally handsome Steve Cochran dominates his surroundings as the flint-eyed, heartless, "take-no-prisoners" leader of the "Tri-State Gang" who can calmly kill at the drop of a fedora and Robert Webber and newcomer Gaby Andre (whatever happened to her?) are believable as a young con and his naive bride in over their heads. Familiar face Virginia Grey scores as a radio-addicted dame who knows the score and the reliable Eddie Norris and Richard Egan are also on hand in small roles. The director, Andrew Stone, wrote the never-a-dull-moment script and, in addition to the solid direction and "A" production values only a major studio can provide, the violence directed at women and the high body count made this fast-paced police procedural a slick "shocker" for its day and it still packs a punch. Warners also made WHITE HEAT, KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE (both with James Cagney), and THE DAMNED DON'T CRY (again with bad boy Cochran) around the same time. Highly recommended for fans of this type of film -and you know who you are.

"Several good suspense sequences, some good comic observation, and many pleasing visual moments of the wet-streets-at-night category." -"Punch"