Plunder Road [Blu-ray]

A Good entry in the 'caper' film genre
Hubert Cornfield's "Plunder Road" is the story of a carefully planned and flawlessly executed robbery of a train carrying a gold shipment on its way to the US mint. The script, written by actor Steven Ritch, who plays Eddie, a former car racer turned wheelman, is interestingly spare. There are long stretches in the film without dialogue, but the script is terse and incisive, in both its voice-over narration and dialogue. The cast includes Wayne Morris, who delivered a fine performance in Stanley Kubrick's "Paths Of Glory", and the legendary character actor Elisha Cook in the role of Skeets, a career criminal with dreams of escaping to Rio. All of the performances are generally low-key, but effective. Gene Raymond, as the mastermind of the job, makes for an interesting gang leader: a laconic, cynical, college-educated tough guy. The robbery sequence is very well done, and the rest of the film seldoms lets up in delivering suspense."Plunder Road"...

A tense 'heist NOIR' that keeps you riveted
Well worth a look, 'PLUNDER ROAD' is a tense little crime film that, like so many others did, got lost among the bigger name thrillers of the period. But despite it's relative obscurity the film is a highly entertaining yarn involving a group of thieves attempting to get away with an elaborate gold heist, while facing slim odds. No big names to speak of, an ostensibly low budget, and a cheeky title (a Mitchum reference?) do nothing to diminish the impact of this scrappy little gem. Check it out.

Economy size
A capable caper film distinguished by expert performances from a veteran cast. Gene Raymond's turn as the world-weary ringleader is especially noteworthy and a long way from his sappy, lightweight roles of the 1930's. Authentic war hero Wayne Morris is a likable co-conspirator, but unfortunately just two years away from an untimely early death. Professional loser Elisha Cook's presence guarantees a bad end to the best laid plans, and though the movie as a whole doesn't disappoint, the budget appears to be in the neighborhood of $50 tops, as the getaway truck revolves endlessly around Griffith Park. Director Hubert Cornfield looks to be aiming at a breakthrough film on the order of Stanley Kubrick's remarkably successful caper film of the year before, The Killing, but doesn't get it. Plunder Road simply lacks the imagination and panache of its predecessor. Nevertheless the movie merits a look for its spartan virtues, expert pacing, and capable cast.

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