Drive a Crooked Road (1954)

50% of users liked it
(97 ratings)

Auto mechanic and wannabe race-car driver Eddie Shannon (Mickey Rooney) allows himself to be led perilously astray in Drive a Crooked Road. Responding to the come-hither looks of sexy Barbara Mathews (Dianne Foster), Eddie is inveigled into participating in a bank heist. Things then go from bad to… More Auto mechanic and wannabe race-car driver Eddie Shannon (Mickey Rooney) allows himself to be led perilously astray in Drive a Crooked Road. Responding to the come-hither looks of sexy Barbara Mathews (Dianne Foster), Eddie is inveigled into participating in a bank heist. Things then go from bad to worse to awful for both Eddie and Barbara, victims of circumstance in a larger-scale scheme masterminded by hoodlums Steve Norris (Kevin McCarthy) and Harold Baker (Jack Kelly). Without ever justifying their actions, Drive a Crooked Road manages to engender plenty of audience sympathy for the hapless hero and heroine. The film was written by Blake Edwards and directed by Richard Quine, the same team responsible for such Mickey Rooney comic vehicles as All Ashore and Sound Off! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Richard Quine
Written By: Blake Edwards
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Mar 10, 1954 Wide

Critic Reviews

Eric Melin, Scene-Stealers.com
Rooney is certainly understated and extremely effective. Richard Quine keeps everything in nice balance and by its downer of an ending, Drive a Crooked Road turns out to be quietly affecting.
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
... what I like to call beachhouse noir, a world away from the classic nocturnal urban style with its coast highways and sunny beaches and sleek West Coast architecture.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's the simpleness of this tale and lack of any pretensions that makes it convincing but not necessarily sparkling.