Thieves' Highway

Hm. I think I was off on this. It seemed way hokey at first, but I've come around on it; the plot is intriguing and holds your interest, the clash between Conte and Cobb is engaging, the love interest provides a nice subplot that ties back into the main story in a strong way. And though it doesn't have the amazing photography of Night and the City or Rififi, it's still well-shot. If you like noir, check it out.

Conte manuevers through a world of cheats, cutthroats and chiselers of varying degrees, trying his damnedest to keep above it and still earn vengeance. The film has some terrific photography, biting (and witty) dialogue, and most of all a wonderful array of character actors. Just about every performance is a winner. A gripping and highly watchable movie. Although the climax does involve a bit of deus ex machina, the general tone of it is just fine. But who the hell fixed Nick's tire?

A fun enough noir that keeps your interest throughout, but it never really strives for more than that and certain parts, especially the end, can get a bit too silly and forced.

Surprising. The concept seems, well, dumb (avenge my father by driving apples to San Francisco!) but there is more suspense and hard-boiled tension here than in many other so-called "thrillers". Perfect tone.

The only opportunity to immerse yourself in the dark and brutal world of the agricultural produce market in 1940's California.

Good noir with a fine setup in the first scene. You root for Conte but I didn't find the romantic subplot with Cortese cute, as clearly intended. There's a few other problems: the annoying henchmen's comedic routine and an ending which is hardly believable. One action scene and its conclusion were well done.

The ending is tacked on, and feels like it, but other than that it's a good picture. Cobb, especially, is good.

Not very interesting; I like my noir (anti)heros more unsteady and vulnerable and the moral climate more ambiguous. Furthermore, the relationships between the "hero" and the femme fatale is implausible and corny - and I'm usually not that concerned with "plausability". The photography is ok, but there's only a few stirring images. It's never really dull, but its a dull film.

After seeing the excellent Rififi, I was disappointed to find that this film lacked the edge and grittiness that I was expecting. Cobb is great in basically the same role he would play in On the Waterfront, but the rest is all pretty hokey.

Who knew farmers markets were such serious shit. The spiciest dialogue about selling apples and trucking you'll ever hear. Last act kinda lost me though.

So close to the real deal. I didn't even mind the little bits of comedy we get from the duo (more so with the conclusion of their story in perspective), but I do wonder what else but demographics could be the purpose of the girlfriend character. It's obvious when that ending comes there must have been some studio hands guiding this into the realm of 'acceptable viewing standards' for us movie-going folk.

I couldn't bring myself to care about the backstabbing world of fruit arbitrage. There isn't too much time spent on the road despite its title. Bullying and shaming the bad guy doesn't seem realistic. The girlfriend leaving him doesn't seem to add to the story. Decent femme fatale who turns into head-over-heels crush with witty commentary. Good noir atmosphere on the street level. Fav scene: fruit truck engulfed in flames.

Excellent noir gives Conte a terrific anti-hero role which he plays to the hilt; brilliantly cast right down the line, with Cortesa an especially effective femme fatale, and Cobb a bulldog of a nasty. Dassin's excellent direction livens matters considerably, especially the handling of his actors - note how many scenes play out on Cortesa's face.

Who knew the apple game was so rough

If it wasn't for that preachy, happy-go-lucky ending, Thieves' Highway could be a masterpiece. Though, it's still a consistently wonderful piece of film-noir. Jules Dassin handles the cast immaculately and gets the best out of them. Every element of the genre is patched together exuberantly. Well worth seeing, though be warned, you may not wish to eat any apples for the rest of your life!

An excellent working class film with a fine Bezzerides script. Conte, Cortese, and Mitchell all give good performances, and Cobb for once does not overact, and makes an able antagonist for Conte. Dassin directs well: the highway sequences and market scenes are fine. It is a pleasure to see characters frankly motivated by money talk about it freely. Ah, but soon the blacklist would come, and this kind of honesty about the workings of the capitalist system would be a thing of the past.

I could go for a crisp gala right about now

The master of crime makes a trip to the market. Not much of the greatness Dassin's capable of; this can't quite escape its sunny suburban opening, especially not with a trip to the orchard. With such a focus on commerce and labor, the darker moments seem a little out of place, especially coming from the unconvincing Conte. It's fun to see Cortese devour him for a few minutes at least, but they're headed toward a cop out ending, as surely as apples rolling down a hill. Disappointing.

A man returns from war a conquerer with a false sense of control. When we lose that control and and are all betrayed as individuals by the systems of capital. The broken down engines of the war machine attempting to bring salvation to those beaten down by the economic crash. The apple. The hopeful promise but really the symbol of temptation and the fall of man rooted deep in the mythology of America. Phenomenal lead performance especially that ending such a thumb in the eye of code censors.

Fear and loathing in the independent trucking business. (Try not to laugh.) Richard Conte does his poor-man's-John-Garfield, and there are *some* effective sequences. But boy oh fucking boy is this corny, especially in the end

I love how down to earth and low scale this great noir with some good socio-economical undertones is. I love how down to earth and low scale this great noir with some good socio-economical undertones is. Just one day of a normal guy wanting to take revenge for wronged father by a crooked market salesman.

Star Rating: ★★★1/2

I was initially put off by this film, but upon a second viewing years later and benefited with a better understanding of Dassin's work, I gained a strong appreciation for Thieves' Highway. It generates thriller melodrama out of a niche and menial milieu; blue collar characterization highlighting migrant labor (both legal and illegal), still more empathetic when seen in the light of Dassin's later time in Europe. A couple bits of studio-shoehorned moral correction toward the end barely matter.

Peculiar revenge story that lulls you into thinking you're watching some nail-biting cross-country-race movie. To be honest, the premise is ridiculous (avenge father by selling apples), and I'm not convinced it's noir with the flawless hero (other than his naivete) and the far-too-upbeat ending. Cobb's performance was a treat, and the post-war shots of SF add some extra charm.

Há 70 anos estreava nos EUA. A união de Bezzerides com Dassin é mais do que benfazeja como qualquer um poderia esperar, a carga de maçãs aqui é tão explosiva quanto em Salário do Medo e o fato do final ser ao lado da prostituta e não com a namorada dos sonhos é um tanto quanto quebra de paradigma até mesmo dentro do universo noir. BlurayRip PSYCHD.

An interesting story helped make this a film that I found to be an enjoyable watch.The acting is good but felt a little forced at times,particularly the other truckers and the fem-fatal character.The ending really didn't feel right to me.I really though it took away from the film.

A little too happy-go-lucky for my tastes.

"Dassin swathes Thieves' Highway's long-haul boys in claustrophobic compositions and menacing darkness." - Nick Schager

Quite unusual at first, but quite engaging in the end. Conte and Cobb provide excellent performances in a ruthless mise en scène. The aggression and chaos of Conte's mission translate visually, as apples roll around, money-hungry rough men get beaten and Valentina Cortese transforms from a cold pawn into an epitome of his salvation.

You don't see many noirs focused on trucking and produce markets, but this one uses the setting well as a sort of our-society-in-miniature take down of exploitation and corruption. It's a genuinely radical film where Valentina Cortese's immigrant prostitute, who helps Conte after initially being hired by Cobb to set him up, turns out to be far more loyal and upright than Barbara Lawrence's blonde girlfriend character who dumps Conte at the first sign of trouble.

Solid but forgettable film about the apparently sordid world of produce (in this case apples.) There's nothing much to complain about, but also not much to make it stand out. The most interesting performance is by Lee J. Cobb as the antagonist, a crooked produce salesman. It's not bad, but I'm pretty sure I won't remember it all that well in a month or two.

Didn't know apples was such serious business! Here Lee J. Cobb operates like a fruit and vegetable mob boss and Richard Conte is out to get revenge on him for crippling his father. And it's weirdly compelling. Even the love triangle serves a strong purpose, and the cinematography was amazing at times. The visuals of thousands of apples spread-out was surprisingly expressive! Especially with a exploding truck nearby. I'm baffled at how much excitement Jules Dassin got out of a green grocers.

Wow, what a movie. I liked the director and main cast anyway, still I'm surprised. Forget Wages of Fear, this is better and unusual ending for a film noir. I'm happy with it. 5/5, maybe even better than On the Waterfront.