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Thieves' Highway

1949 · 94 min

A gritty, slow-burning noir that tightens like a vise, with moments of shocking violence and a bitter-sweet romance.

Directed by
Jules Dassin
Genres
Drama, Crime, Thriller
Starring
Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb
Tagline
You Need a Friend, Strong Man, - And I'm Friendly!
Overview
Nick Garcos comes back from his tour of duty in World War II planning to settle down with his girlfriend, Polly Faber. He learns, however, that his father was recently beaten and burglarized by mob-connected trucker Mike Figlia, and Nick resolves to get even. He partners with prostitute Rica, and together they go after Mike, all the while getting pulled further into the local crime underworld.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Jules Dassin
Genres
Drama, Crime, Thriller
Starring
Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • revenge
  • crime
  • corruption
  • family
  • justice
Places
  • big city
  • road trip
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror2
Humour2
Realism8
Romance3
Tension7
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime, thriller
Directed by
Jules Dassin
Written by
A.I. Bezzerides
Starring
Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese, Lee J. Cobb, Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie, Millard Mitchell, Joseph Pevney, Morris Carnovsky
Music
Alfred Newman
Cinematography
Norbert Brodine
Runtime
94 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English, Italian

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