Thieves' Highway
Capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum
From the Chicago Reader

Perhaps the most unjustly neglected of Jules Dassin's preblacklist Hollywood pictures and one of the best noirs ever made by anyone, this 1949 release is a terrific, fast-moving thriller about the corruption of the California fruit market business. Adapted by A.I. Bezzerides (Kiss Me Deadly, Track of the Cat) from his own novel, it has a pretty exciting cast as well: Richard Conte, Valentina Cortese (in her American debut), Lee J. Cobb (in a role anticipating his part in On the Waterfront), Barbara Lawrence, Jack Oakie, and Millard Mitchell. 94 min.

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