THIEVES HIGHWAY (1949)
Directed by: Jules Dassin.
Produced by: Robert Bassler.
Written by: A.I. Bezzerides, based on his novel Thieves' Market.
Director of Photography: Norbert Brodine.
Edited by: Nick DeMaggio.
Music by: Alfred Newman.
Released by: Criterion Collection.
Country of Origin: USA. 94 min. Not Rated.
With: Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie, Millard Mitchell & Joseph Pevney.
DVD Features: Commentary by Alain Silver, editor of Film Noir Reader and author of Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles. Interview with Jules Dassin. Trailer for The Long Haul of A.I. Bezzerides (2004). Trailer. Restored high-definition digital transfer. Essay by film critic Michael Sragow.

Ex-GI Nick Garcos (noir veteran Richard Conte) returns to Fresno to discover his father, a fruit hauler, has been ripped-off by San Francisco fruit merchant Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb) and has lost his legs in a mysterious accident. Nick teams up with another truck driver/new father figure (Millard Mitchell) to seek his revenge.

Though not particularly groundbreaking, Thieves’ Highway is a considerably good film noir with a strong cast. Excellently shot, the situations evolve naturally rather than being shoehorned. Even Figlia seems less of a malicious bad guy and more just like an opportunist with a slight lack of morals.

One thing that aids the film is its additional focus. Other than the crime/revenge route, it also examines the unconventional and rarely seen life of long haulers, those who travel by night to delivery goods across the country. The camerawork and editing help convey the dizziness and isolation of such a life, and writer A.I. Bezzerides' history with the occupation clearly shows through his script.

The one scene that is out of place comes at the end when two cops admonish Nick for taking revenge, telling him its wrong to take the law into his own hands. Of course, this is a Hays Code enforced change that is commented on nearly all the disc's extras.

DVD Extras: These really aid in giving this film a deeper understanding. A commentary by Alan Silver sometimes sounds like a lecture but gives good insight into the entire genre as well as Dassin's techniques (e.g. staging and framing) and subtleties that a viewer might missed. A short interview with the director made for the DVD is an interesting highlight and you do want it to be longer. There’s a feeling he had much more to say about the production and how even a partial commentary would have been appreciated. The final extra is a trailer for an upcoming documentary on author A.I. Bezzerides (The Long Haul of A.I. Bezzerides), who writes mostly novels on the working class and their struggles. Brett Harrison Davinger
April 18, 2005