Thieves’ Highway

A Californian war veteran returns home to find his father disabled following a mysterious lorry accident. He buys an old lorry himself and drives a load of apples to the fruit market in San Francisco to confront the criminal wholesaler who is believed to have deliberately caused his father’s accident. But the hero underestimates his opponent’s cunning and is pushed to his limits during the confrontation. (afu)

When Jules Dassin came under the scrutiny of the HUAC in the late 1940s, he was at the height of his American career. Alongside Brute Force (1947) and The Naked City (1948), Thieves’ Highway stands out in particular. It is one of the finest film noirs of its time, set against the glistening sunlight of California and the pitch-black night of the streets. Here, Dassin masterfully interweaves two narrative strands: a World War II veteran’s search for the truth behind his father’s tragic accident, and a portrayal of the exploitative working conditions of lorry drivers, who are helplessly at the mercy of the capitalist system. (hb)