Thieves’ Highway **** (1949, Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J Cobb) – Classic Movie Review 1582

Director Jules Dassin’s 1949 American film noir thriller is still fresh and knife-edge exciting.

Richard Conte stars as Nico ‘Nick’ Garcos, a sailor war-veteran who joins a trucking business as a truck driver. When he arrives at home to find his foreign-born  farmer father (Morris Carnovsky) has been crippled and robbed by Mike Figlia (Lee J Cobb), an unscrupulous San Francisco produce dealer, Garcos vows to get even with the powerful wholesaler and restore the family honour.

Director Dassin (Brute Force, The Naked City, Rififi) shows his mastery of atmosphere and action, and the movie is distinguished by the outstanding, realistic noir cinematography from Norbert Brodine. The film gets the kiss of life from its shooting on location in San Francisco and its accurate depiction of the city’s vibrant fruit and produce market, using its workers as extras. Conte and Cobb are tough and ideal as the antagonists.

It is Valentina Cortese’s American début, as a prostitute who helps Garcos. Jack Oakie, Millard Mitchell, Joseph Pevney, Barbara Lawrence, Hope Emerson, Morris Carnovsky, Tamara Shayne, David Opatoshu, Percy Helton and Dick Wessel co-star.

It was adapted for the screen by writer A I Bezzerides (They Drive by Night) from his own novel Thieves’ Market.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1582

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com/