Plunder Road
| Program section: | Trucker Noir |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | Hubert Cornfield |
| Year: | 1957 |
| Country: | USA |
| Length: | 72 min. |
| Cast: | Gene Raymond, Jeanne Cooper, Wayne Morris, Elisha Cook Jr., Stafford Repp and others. |
Screening:
- 22. 8. 2026 | 15:45 - Nova Cinema Hall (castle - chateau) / CZ subs /
Production: Regal Films
Script/Based on: Steven Ritch, Jack Charney
Director of Photography: Ernest Haller
Score: Irving Gertz
The low-budget film Plunder Road skillfully blends the conventions of heist and escape films. In the first part, we follow the successful attempt by a group of five men to rob a train loaded with gold. The heist itself takes place almost without dialogue (much like in Dassin’s Rififi), and thanks in large part to the cinematography of the experienced Ernest Haller (known for Mildred Pierce, Humoresque, and Rebel Without a Cause, among others), the entire opening sequence is remarkably compelling. More than two-thirds of the runtime is then devoted to the escape from the scene of the robbery and the attempt to transport the stolen gold to safety. Here, too, the filmmakers took an unorthodox approach, as the men split up into three trucks, and the film presents their actions through three alternating storylines. The film was directed by the completely unknown Hubert Cornfield, a native of Turkey, whose sparse filmography calls for further exploration. (mh)
