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DVD Thunder Road
The preeminent moonshine movie, the 1958 Thunder Road stars Robert Mitchum as a backwoods bootlegger in Tennessee, getting squeezed by both the federal government and organized crime. Mitchum had a big hand in creating this cult favorite (which reportedly played in drive-ins around America for years), writing the script, producing the movie, and even composing and singing the movie's theme song, which became a radio hit. Directed by longtime cinematographer Arthur Ripley, the film is strong on characters and action, the latter fulfilled by a memorable chase scene at the end. Mitchum was at an artistic peak at this point in his career, and this is really an indispensable movie for his fans. --Tom Keogh
When Robert Mitchum died in the summer of 1997, the Washington Post said that Errol Flynn was dashing, John Wayne was heroic, Jimmy Stewart was sincere, and Gary Cooper was genuine. It added: "But Robert Mitchum was cool." I don't think he was ever cooler than he was in this movie playing a Tennessee moonshiner caught between the feds and the mob. (He even sang the title song, which is surprisingly good.) The plot of this movie, quite honestly, is pretty much incidental. It's just fun to watch Mitchum swagger about with his heavily lidded yet knowing eyes, wearing his leather jacket, and kicking ass on anyone who gets in his way. Yes, indeed, Robert Mitchum was cool, and that, I would venture to say, is the whole point of this movie.
Movie Myth-Making
Whatever the film lacks, which is a lot, focus on the imagery -- duelling hotrods, a dangling cigarette, country two-lanes, and a precious load of illegal booze, family honor, and a good woman. This is movie myth-making at its near purest, so what else could a ducktailed Elvis-clone of the 50's have wanted. Girls may have swooned over treacle like "A Summer Place", but hot-rodders packed this drive-in classic bumper to bumper. Sure, it's badly produced ($50 budget, tops), badly acted (even Mitchum struggles with the hopeless Keely Smith), and features one of the worst canvas backdrops on record (the water-wheel scene). Still it has the King of Cool gunning down the asphalt (don't let the sleepy eyes fool you), pits rugged individualism against angry collectivism (organized crime and big govn't), and opens with a throbbing title tune (composed and sung by Mitchum) -- topped by a look and feel unlike the usual Hollywood contrivance. And who can forget those forlorn headbeams searching their way through an existential void. The imagery was compelling and caught the edgy mood of a drive-in crowd feeling their own way through a world of teenage angst. Few would grow into the mythic shoes of road-warrior, Luke Doolin, but a lot sure wanted to try. Which is why this primitive slice of small-screen black-and-white continues to resonate, even into the big-screen myth-making of souped-up starships, evil empires, and computerized magic.
Don't miss...
If you liked this check out "Moonrunners".
Tagline: "Thunder Road" was only a practice run. This is the real thing!
Just as Stalag 17 degenerated into Hogan heroes, Moonrunners degenerated into "Dukes of HAzard". Still if you want a good story of feds, mobsters, racing and 'shiners, watch Moonrunners.
In the entire history of American movies, The Night of the Hunter stands out as the rarest and most exotic of specimens. It is, to say the least, a masterpiece--and not just because it was the only movie directed by flamboyant actor Charles Laughton or the only produced solo screenplay by the legendary critic James Agee (who also cowrote The African Queen). The truth is, nobody has ever made anything approaching its phantasmagoric, overheated style in which German expressionism, religious hysteria, fairy-tale fantasy (of the Grimm-est variety), and stalker movie are brought together in a furious boil. Like a nightmarish premonition of stalker movies to come, Night of the Hunter tells the suspenseful tale of a demented preacher (Robert Mitchum, in a performance that... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robert Mitchum - Shelley Winters Director(s): Charles Laughton DVD Release Date: Released the 15 May 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Art film and road movie collide for Vanishing Point, an existential car chase across the desert in a post Easy Rider America. Barry Newman stars as Kowalski, a taciturn driver who bets that he can drive a new Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. He loads up on amphetamines and begins his odyssey through the contemporary west while a funky black DJ (Cleavon Little) turns the driver into a folk hero and broadcasts advice on dodging the cops. It's like a counterculture precursor to Smokey and the Bandit, with the road as the last bastion of freedom and the DJ as a combination commentator and mystical guide. The slim plot offers a network of society drop-outs that aid the "last free Man on Earth" (as the DJ describes him) on his obscure but obviously... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Richard C. Sarafian DVD Release Date: Released the 03 February 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Superior to Martin Scorsese's punishing 1991 remake, this 1962 thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone) stars Robert Mitchum as a creepy ex-con angry at the attorney (Gregory Peck) whom he believes is responsible for his incarceration. After Mitchum makes clear his plans to harm Peck's family, a fascinating game of crisscrossing ethics and morality takes place. Where the more recent version seemed trapped in its explicitness, Thompson's film accomplishes a lot with a more economical and telling use of violence. The result is a richer character study with some Hitchcockian overtones regarding the nature of guilt. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gregory Peck - Robert Mitchum Director(s): J. Lee Thompson DVD Release Date: Released the 18 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This really is a good film... so WHY in the world did they lop off the sides of it? It is time for a W I D E S C R E E N version of this film! In widescreen, my star rating for this film is 3.5 More Info about this DVD Director(s): Joseph Sargent DVD Release Date: Released the 15 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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San Francisco has been the setting of a lot of exciting movie car chases over the years, but this 1968 police thriller is still the one to beat when it comes to high-octane action on the steep hills of the city by the Bay. The outstanding car chase earned an Oscar for best editing, but the rest of the movie is pretty good, too. Bullitt is a perfect star vehicle for cool guy Steve McQueen, who stars as a tenacious detective (is there any other kind?) determined to track down the killers of the star witness in an important trial. Director Peter Yates (Breaking Away) approached the story with an emphasis on absolute authenticity, using a variety of San Francisco locations. Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Duvall appear in early roles, and Robert Vaughn plays the criminal kingpin... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Peter Yates DVD Release Date: Released the 19 November 1997 Usually ships in 24 hours
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