A war veteran turned truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of an amoral produce scofflaw.A war veteran turned truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of an amoral produce scofflaw.A war veteran turned truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of an amoral produce scofflaw.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Rica
- (as Valentina Cortesa)
- Officer Riley
- (uncredited)
- Announcer
- (uncredited)
- Mr. Faber
- (uncredited)
- Mitch
- (uncredited)
- Motor Policeman
- (uncredited)
- Man in Freight Elevator
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to director Jules Dassin, Jack Oakie was completely deaf by the time of this film. "He caused absolutely no delays," Dassin said.
- GoofsAt the end, when Nick is confronting Mike, he hits Mike's hand with the small hatchet. The head of the hatchet can be seen flying off the end of the handle. However, in subsequent scenes, the head is back on the handle. (correction follows) Nick is holding the hatchet by the head and hits Mike with the butt end, at which time, some unidentified object already on the table bounces into the foreground. At this point, the entire hatchet head can still be seen in Nick's hand.
In the same scene, Mike can be seen nursing his injured, bloodied hand. Later, however, as Nick attacks Mike, there is no sign of blood on Mike's hand.
- Quotes
Nick Garcos: Hey, do you like apples?
Rica: Everybody likes apples, except doctors.
Nick Garcos: Do you know what it takes to get an apple so you can sink your beautiful teeth in it? You gotta stuff rags up tailpipes, farmers gotta get gypped, you jack up trucks with the back of your neck, universals conk out...
Rica: I don't know what are you talking about, but I have a new respect for apples.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Fast and the Furious (1954)
Nick meets Ed and tells that he will bring the truck back, but Ed proposes a deal with apples, where they may earn a great amount. Nick invests his savings in another truck and buys apples from a Polish farmer. They need to drive directly to the market in San Francisco without sleeping to keep the fruits fresh, but Ed's truck has problem on its axle and Nick arrives first. Mike Figlia hires the Italian whore Rica (Valentina Cortesa) to distract Nick but she falls for him and tells that Mike is robbing his cargo. Mike is forced to share his selling with Nick and her earns a large amount. Then he calls Polly and asks her to meet him to get married, and Rica tells to Nick that Polly is only interested in his money. When Nick is robbed by Mike's gangsters, he learns who really loves him. But Nick still has to settle the score with Mike.
"Thieves' Highway" is another great film-noir by Jules Dassin in a period of the post-war ruled by gangsters and corruption. Nick Garcos begins the story happy and expecting to get married with his girlfriend and ends a dark character in love with a prostitute with a heart of gold. The direction and performances are top-notch and the story is realistic. The sequence with the uncontrolled truck without brake in the highway is impressive. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Mercado de Ladrões" ("Thieves' Market")
- claudio_carvalho
- May 24, 2013
- How long is Thieves' Highway?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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![Richard Conte and Valentina Cortese in Thieves' Highway (1949)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjhhNTFhNTQtYTYzMS00YzU4LTkwMWUtZjJjNzYzNGQ5OGY3L2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,1,90,133_.jpg)