Thieves' Highway (1949)

100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(916 ratings)

Thieves' Highway is set in San Francisco and the surrounding countryside. Richard Conte plays Nick Garcos, an American GI who returns from WWII to find that his father Yanko (Morris Carnovsky), a produce trucker, has lost the use of both legs because of a fight with crooked truck driver Mike Figlia… More Thieves' Highway is set in San Francisco and the surrounding countryside. Richard Conte plays Nick Garcos, an American GI who returns from WWII to find that his father Yanko (Morris Carnovsky), a produce trucker, has lost the use of both legs because of a fight with crooked truck driver Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Nick is a clean-cut guy who was set on marrying his sweetheart Polly Faber (Barbara Lawrence). Instead, Nick gets embroiled in his father's feud with Mike, buying a truck and falling deeper into racketeering. He delivers a truckload of apples to Mike as part of a scheme to expose his cheating. A prostitute, Rica (Valentina Cortesa), tells Nick that Mike has his own plot to trap him. Nick and Rica help Mike's henchmen learn that Mike has also been cheating them, and Nick eventually gets his revenge. But Nick has permanently lost Polly because of his involvement with the gangsters and his change in personality from a good guy to a more sinister businessman. Director Jules Dassin was blacklisted from Hollywood for supposed communist sympathies after making this 1949 picture, but he went on to have success with more caper movies while in exile in France. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Jules Dassin
Written By: A.I. Bezzerides
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1949 Wide
On DVD: Feb 1, 2005
Studio: Criterion Collection

Critic Reviews

Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
A savage attack on American comfort.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Jules Dassin's amazing Thieves' Highway (1949), which delves into the cutthroat world of fruit vendors, is a little-known classic.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
A staunchly acted, well crafted drama from years gone by.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Takes a sour bite out of the next apple you'll eat as it tells about the corruption of the California produce business.
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
functions equally well as revenge drama, moral fable, and no-holds-barred condemnation of dog-eat-dog capitalism
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Dassin's film emerges as a rather searing, wide-reaching indictment of the necessary evils of doing business in the United States
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Dassin swathes Thieves' Highway's long-haul boys in claustrophobic compositions and menacing darkness.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Dassin brings a level of social consciousness and location authenticity, which helps balance the story's more strained melodramatic contrivances
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
As Thieves' Highway persuasively demonstrates, it's always a good idea to check your brakes before trucking down twisty, down-sloped hills.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

Excellent pink noir, save the tacky tacked- on ending. "Aren't women wonderful?"
AJ V

A thrilling revenge film noir about truckers. I loved it.
jay n

Good old fashioned drama that gets better as it goes along. Well directed and acted but similar to the superior They Drive by Night.
Stella D

this is a good b-picture about truckers, directed by jules dassin and written by a.i. bezzerides, who also wrote they drive by night and kiss me deadly. i'm not a big fan of richard conte but he does alright here, valentina cortese is great as the hard bitten femme who makes him… More
this is a good b-picture about truckers, directed by jules dassin and written by a.i. bezzerides, who also wrote they drive by night and kiss me deadly. i'm not a big fan of richard conte but he does alright here, valentina cortese is great as the hard bitten femme who makes him a mark and lee j. cobb has a blast as the heavy. interference from producer darryl zanuck may have weakened this picture but it's still worth a watch for noir fans. dassin's last film before the blacklist and his self-imposed exile from hollywood
Ken S

Very interesting Noir-esque film by Dassin. The film takes some unexpected twists and turns while still being very dark at times. The ending is especially surprising. Worth seeing if you are a Noir buff
Michael G

Dassin does a great job from a directorial standpoint, but Thieves' Highway is just kind of there. I was never a big fan of Richard Conte and this movie did little to make me change my mind. It's not a bad watch if you don't have to go too far out of your way, but… More
Dassin does a great job from a directorial standpoint, but Thieves' Highway is just kind of there. I was never a big fan of Richard Conte and this movie did little to make me change my mind. It's not a bad watch if you don't have to go too far out of your way, but don't get your hopes up by any means.
cody f

Murder,Revenge,Corruption,Love, and Apples That is what Jules Dassin's Thieves Highway is all about. A entertaining film about the dangers of truck driving and the slick dealings of produce salesmen. The acting is great especially from Conte, Cobb,Cortese and a small part from… More
Murder,Revenge,Corruption,Love, and Apples That is what Jules Dassin's Thieves Highway is all about. A entertaining film about the dangers of truck driving and the slick dealings of produce salesmen. The acting is great especially from Conte, Cobb,Cortese and a small part from Jack Oakie. The only problem is the end is a little sappy and it's about 15 minutes too long. It's not Dassin's best, but it is entertaing and the subject matter is something I have never seen in a film before.

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Richard Conte as Nick Garcos

            Valentina Cortese as Rica

            Lee J Cobb as Mike Figlia

            Jack Oakie as Slob

            Barbara Lawrence as Polly Faber

            Millard Mitchell as Ed

            Joseph Pevney as Pete

            Morris Carnovsky as Yanko Garcos

            Tamara Shayne as Parthena Garcos

            Kasia Orzazewski as Mrs. Polansky

            Norbert Schiller as Polansky

            Hope Emerson as Midgren

            George Tyne as Charles

            Edwin Max as Dave

            David Clarke as Mitch

            Walter S. Baldwin as Riley

            David Opatoshu as Frenchy

            Ann Morrison as Mable

            Percy Helton as Proprietor

            Maurice Samuels as Mario

            Saul Martell as Stukas

            Howland Chamberlain as Mr. Faber

            Irene Tedrow as Mrs. Faber

            Al Eben as Newman

            Joe Haworth as Inspector

            Frank Kreig as Clerk

            Mario Siletti as Pietro

            Robert Bice as Announcer

            Robert Foulk as Policeman

            Ted Jordan
            
            John Merton as State Highway Policeman

            Jim Nolan as Policeman

            Dick Wessel as Cab Driver

            Roy Damron as Motor Policeman

            Frank Richards as Pig
See full cast