150 Word Review: 'Thunder Road' (1958)
Road warrior
Robert Mitchum’s character, Lucas Doolin, is a brooding war hero who returns to the family business: bootlegging. Specifically, he’s behind the wheel of souped-up cars designed to transport illegal hooch all over the state. The hillbillies of Appalachia have been brewing booze for generations; it ain’t their fault the law isn’t on their side anymore. Running booze is dangerous work, but Doolin has a death wish.
There’s plenty of roaring car chases. Our hero gets into a few donnybrooks with rivals. He’s tough, you see, but when it comes to family and women, he’s soft, too. This is a Mitchum production: he came up with the story and produced it. He even cast his son, James, as his character’s little brother, a mechanic.
The movie ends with a title card thanking the government for its cooperation. Thunder Road is pro-G-man and anti-criminal. It’s too bad they cast cool-as-hell Robert Mitchum…
He also wrote and sang the title song.