Thieves' Highway - Criterion Collection (1949)

A fine Jules Dassin film, a bit over-balanced by Lee J. Cobb's criminally sly performance

Jules Dassin directed, in my opinion, two great dramas that happened to be crime films, Night and the City (1950) and Rififi (1955). Earlier, he made two near-great crime films, Naked City (1948), a little dated now, and Brute Force (1947). For me, Thieves' Highway (1949) pauses right in the middle, both in terms of the year made and in terms of the success of the story. The movie tells us about Nick Garcos (Richard Conte), who returns home from working at sea with presents for his family and his fiance. He discovers that his father, a long-haul produce trucker, has lost his legs in a trucking accident after delivering tomatoes to produce broker Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb) in San Francisco. It looks like Figlia also stole back the money his father had been paid by Figlia. Nick is determined to settle scores. He sets out with an old-time hauler to deliver apples to Figlia, and plans to do whatever it takes to even things out. It doesn't work out so easily for Nick. The happy ending Darryl F. Zanuck shot and added to the film without Dassin's knowledge doesn't help matters. Zanuck's contribution starts with Nick meeting Figlia in a bar by a highway, a fight and ends with Nick and Rica, a woman he met after his fiance dumped him and who earns her money from men, driving off together. I'm not sure that whatever the original ending was Dassin had in mind would have improved the film. As it is, I think this movie of retribution is masterfully directed, filled with realism, contains several first-rate sequences and is photographed with great style and mood. The truck crashing off the highway, with boxes of apples tumbling off and the apples rolling down the hill toward us is startling. So why don't I like it as much as I think I should? The quick and secondary answer is that I learned more than I needed about produce. It's difficult to make a great movie when crucial plot points turn on whether a bunch of Golden Delicious apples are too mealy. The primary answer is the acting.

I have great admiration for Richard Conte, who plays Nick Garcos. He was always watchable and he got even better as he aged. Most of his career in Hollywood was spent playing second leads or shrewd villains in A movies and leads in B movies. He never managed the traction to move up to Hollywood hero parts. I can't explain it well in words, but Conte, who could be tightly coiled and energetic, lacked in my view a certain amount of charisma that could drive a part into your head. He's very good in Thieves' Highway, but he only occasionally involves me emotionally. (As opposed, for instance, to the loser Harry Fabian played by Richard Widmark in Night and the City; it's tough playing nice leads in noirs.) Valentina Cortese has the looks, the style and the sense of vulnerability to do a good job as Rica, but she doesn't have the language skills. She has a hard time breaking past the language barrier from Italian into English. This hurts the character and it hurts the scenes between her and Conte. On the other side of the scale there's Lee J. Cobb as Mike Figlia. Says Dassin on Cobb's view of Figlia, "'I can outsmart any of the guys and I do what I want to do...law is what I make it...and I have fun with it.' And that's what's under [Cobb's] whole performance." We don't like or trust Figlia, but he's sure a piece of work. We enjoy his untrustworthiness and double dealing because he enjoys it all so much himself. In my view, the balance of interest between Nick and Figlia always tips toward Figlia, thanks to Cobb's skill in the part. And there's Millard Mitchell as Nick's "partner." I think this might be the finest performance of Mitchell's long career. When he and Conte share scenes, it's like pairing up a real-life worn-out long haul driver with a good young actor. That's not criticism of Conte, it's praise for Mitchell.

Criterion, who filmed a long interview with Dassin in his early nineties, has used various parts of that interview as they have released his films. The part of the interview where Dassin discusses Thieves' Highway is included as an extra, along with a film commentary and a trailer for a documentary on A. I. Bezzerides, the author of the screenplay. There is an essay on the film included in the DVD container. It seemed to me to over-analyze the film with an over-wrought style. Criterion's DVD transfer of this black-and-white film is immaculate. Anyone who admires Dassin would want to have this movie. February 25, 2007

Mediocre movie with a few great highs

A simplistic plot, a crude point, one dimensional characters, and far too much deus ex machina. Its in black and white but the ending is so saccharine it can't be noir. All the makings of a one star movie but wait -- what happens if you add some good lines, a few immortal shots, some great ensemble acting, and another great Criterion transfer? Then you have the Thieve's Highway. Overall a mediocre movie but the highlights are worth seeing. December 9, 2006

DASSIN AT HIS BEST!

Leftist film director Jules Dassin has four(4) classic film noirs to his credit before his exile to Europe,due to the political blacklist.BRUTE FORCE-tense prison drama;THE NAKED CITY-NYC cops solve a murder; NIGHT AND THE CITY-with Richard Widmark as crooked wrestling promoter Harry Fabian, and this great film THIEVES' HIGHWAY starring Richard Conte,Lee J.Cobb,Millard Mitchell,Jack Oakie, Valentina Cortesse and as Conte's father Morris Carnovsky,who was also backlisted.But it is Cobb who walks away the film with his scene stealing performance as crooked produce middleman Mike Figlia.While watching the film you get the impression that Cobb is greatly enjoying every moment on screen as the amoral Figlia.
After returning home,from a stint at sea,Nick Garcos(Conte) discovers that his father who is an independent produce truck driver, has lost his legs due to a trucking accident that may have been helped along by Figlias henchmen(Edwin Max & George Tyne) and that Figlias men may also have robbed him of the money Figlia gave him for a produce load.
After a hassle about who owns whats left of the Garcos family truck Conte teams up with Millard Mitchell to deliver the first seasonal shipment of apples.After arriving at the produce market a battle of brains and brawn develops between Conte and Cobb(along with his henchmen)Valentina Cortese,a whore,payed by Cobb to divert Contes attention while Cobb "sells" Contes goods, turns out to be a hooker with a heart of gold and her character is contrasted to Contes WASPY intended Barbara Lawrence.
The excellent CRITERION COLLECTION DVD includes an excellent commetary,an interview with Dassin and another interview and documentary with writer/sceenwriter A.I.Bezzerides.


May 19, 2006

Cutthroat world of trucking

Richard Conte stars as Nick Garcos a mechanic on a freighter who arrived home with a wad of hard earned cash to invest in a business in Jules Dassin's pretty good film noir "Thieves Highway". His homecoming is tempered by the discovery that his dad, a produce trucker had been swindled on the delivery of a load of tomatoes. The guilty party, Mike Figlia. a crooked produce merchant played superlatively by the always excellent Lee J. Cobb arranged a road accident for Conte's dad where he lost both of his legs.

The enraged Conte also learns that his dad sold his ramshackle truck to Ed Prentiss played by Millard Mitchel and had yet to be paid. He hustled down to Mitchell's place to take back the truck. Instead he and Mitchell partnered in hauling a precious load of golden delicious apples that they hoped to sell in the produce market. Using two trucks they befall many misfortunes on the road to San Francisco where Conte plans on getting retribution against the dishonest Cobb.

Cobb attempts to rob Conte but he is helped by Valentina Cortese playing Rica, a girl hired by Figlia to distract Conte while Cobb's flunkies unload his cargo. Cobb eventually gets his just due and Conte falls in love with Cortese.

While this wasn't one of Dassin's best offerings "Thieves Highway" definitely had its merits. The filming done in and around the streets of San Francisco added that effective noir touch. Character actor Jack Oakie played a nice supporting role as Slob, a rival trucker. February 4, 2006

Great Underrated Noir

I checked out this film only because it was directed by the great Jules Dassin and I was pleasantly surprised. The film is very entertaining and features some scenes that are among the best directed by Dassin. I actually enjoyed it more than the better-known They Drive By Night. Richard Conte does a serviceable job as the leading man, but the film's acting honors really go to the cast of supporting players, which includes Lee J. Cobb and Jack Oakie. I was especially moved by Valentina Cortese's performance as Rica, the prostitute. Barbara Lawrence's role as Polly, the leading man's girlfriend, is underwritten and doesn't make much sense, but in the DVD interview Dassin explains that the part was only intended to make Rica sympathetic. (As usual, Lawrence is very good, though.) He also explains the reason for the few other scenes in the film that seem inconsistent with the general tone of the film (a reprimand by a policeman and the last scene). In short, Thieves Highway is a very good noir by a great director, the DVD transfer is excellent, and the film is really worth checking out. September 27, 2005

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