An invaluable time capsule and an effective tale of kids forced to grow up prematurely, this decidedly austere, Depression-era saga begins with a celebration of youthful adventurism before that innocence is flattened by a hard world. Filmed with the torrid sweep of a Warner Bros. gangster picture, Wild Boys is remarkably unsanitized in its depiction of adolescent suffering, making the perseverance of its characters all the more shattering. Frankie Darro is fantastic throughout and in one scene in particular. I'm thinking of the way he and his father relate after he's just sold his beloved "Leapin' Lena" automobile to a junkyard to help his family pay the bills. Such a sharply written and acted moment, but the grace note happens shortly thereafter when Darro, unable to bear the sight of an empty garage, bars the doors shut: a child who wishes he was too tough to cry in front of others, but too proud to mourn alone. Darro's performance mirrors teenage illusions of invincibility or perhaps a boy who's seen too many movies, emulating Cagney in his scowling resentment of the many corrupt adults he encounters bumming around the country with his quieter buddy, Tommy. The harrowing bulk of the movie revolves around their attempts to stay safe and unseen while hitching trains, and finding shelter, food and work at all stops between. Wellman's enthusiasm behind the camera is evident, often dissolving or cutting in mid-word as if he can hardly wait to show us the next setup. However, he belies a personal feeling for the material in shots that linger, on Darro and Tommy sobbing together, or on Tommy's artificial leg abandoned in the mud of Cleveland. Mostly, though, this is a lightning-paced adventure full of horrific incidentswho can forget a young Ward Bond as a despicable trainman (actually credited as "Red, the Raping Brakeman") who underestimates the young mob?sketched in with a keen eye for realistically grim settings and broken characters. This is a vital film about the Great Depression's most precious casualties, and therefore, in dire need of rediscovery.
Review of Wild Boys of the Road
