I've just seen the 88m version of this film on a 'Hollywood Movie Greats' video and feel compelled to add my opinion because I feel the other reviews don't do this film justice. The Overlook Film Encyclopedia of the Gangster Film (edited by Phil Hardy, 1998) calls it an 'impressive...tough, exciting movie that, for its time, is remarkably full of nasty and sleazy characters...' They go on to mention the uniformly good performances including Diana Dors who is 'excellent'. In fact, if you're a fan of noir, Diana Dors, and Victor Mature, this is a triple whammy. Dors is lovingly lit throughout, weather with gleaming blonde hair giving her an almost angelic allure when Mature first realises he's a goner as he looks at her, or whether weeping in the shadows of a car's backseat; by the final scene only the truly cynical will be left unmoved by her performance. Okay, there's nothing particularly new or genre-bending in the script, but the relationships,whether amatory, or detailing the struggle of a fundamentally honest man trying not to succumb to the corruption of the low-lifes surrounding him, are more than adequately depicted. Perhaps the longer version has some slack; many films are improved by trimming. Well-written, well-shot, well-acted, well - what more do you want?
30 Reviews
Watch out I don't drop you right back among the pigs.
hitchcockthelegend12 April 2014
The Long Haul is directed by Ken Hughes and Hughes adapts the screenplay from the Mervyn Mills novel. It stars Victor Mature, Diana Dors, Patrick Allen, Gene Anderson and Peter Reynolds. Music is by Trevor Duncan and cinematography by Basil Emmott.
Harry Miller (Mature) is an American serviceman who after the war has relocated to Northern England to live with his British wife and their son. He hankers to get back to America but his wife is not keen, so he takes up a truck driving job and quickly learns that corruption and under the table deals are the order of the day. Refusing to bend to that way on account of his moral fibre, this puts him on a collision course with violent racketeer boss Joe Easy (Allen), more so when he steps in to help Easy's girlfriend, Lyn (Dors), during an altercation and Lyn becomes quite smitten with Harry.
Gritty and grimy Brit noir that pulses with violence, simmering sexuality and big roaring lorries! By the time of film's release, the plot device of a returning soldier finding things less than worth fighting for had been done to death, but in the case of Hughes' movie it has a relocation slant that gives it a bit of zest. This gives the pic a rock solid foundation from which to tell its tale, and in the main it delivers all the requisite requirements for the film noir buff.
Narratively it revels in film noir tropes, not content with the confused ex-soldier angle, it throws in a classic femme fatale (Dors sexually charged) and a trick up its sleeve that puts some extra oomph into the culmination of story. The look is a suitably shadowy world of wet winding roads and smoky road side diners, while the dockside scenes are so excellently filmed you can practically smell the damp and salt wafting across the working class backdrop.
Some supporting performances are, shall we say too keen, and some of the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but this is well worth a spin for anyone interested in British noir. Mature and Dors, both under rated actors in their day, are great value as characters desperately trying to find some solid meaning in life, while Allen has a great time playing the cigar chomping - square jawed - bastardo Joe Easy. Check it out, a better than average Brit noirer, pushing boulders and trying to move emotional mountains, indeed! 7/10
Harry Miller (Mature) is an American serviceman who after the war has relocated to Northern England to live with his British wife and their son. He hankers to get back to America but his wife is not keen, so he takes up a truck driving job and quickly learns that corruption and under the table deals are the order of the day. Refusing to bend to that way on account of his moral fibre, this puts him on a collision course with violent racketeer boss Joe Easy (Allen), more so when he steps in to help Easy's girlfriend, Lyn (Dors), during an altercation and Lyn becomes quite smitten with Harry.
Gritty and grimy Brit noir that pulses with violence, simmering sexuality and big roaring lorries! By the time of film's release, the plot device of a returning soldier finding things less than worth fighting for had been done to death, but in the case of Hughes' movie it has a relocation slant that gives it a bit of zest. This gives the pic a rock solid foundation from which to tell its tale, and in the main it delivers all the requisite requirements for the film noir buff.
Narratively it revels in film noir tropes, not content with the confused ex-soldier angle, it throws in a classic femme fatale (Dors sexually charged) and a trick up its sleeve that puts some extra oomph into the culmination of story. The look is a suitably shadowy world of wet winding roads and smoky road side diners, while the dockside scenes are so excellently filmed you can practically smell the damp and salt wafting across the working class backdrop.
Some supporting performances are, shall we say too keen, and some of the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but this is well worth a spin for anyone interested in British noir. Mature and Dors, both under rated actors in their day, are great value as characters desperately trying to find some solid meaning in life, while Allen has a great time playing the cigar chomping - square jawed - bastardo Joe Easy. Check it out, a better than average Brit noirer, pushing boulders and trying to move emotional mountains, indeed! 7/10
Made for each other
jromanbaker5 July 2021
There is a sort of inevitability about casting Victor Mature and Diana Dors. That is if you the reader have any passion for 1950's films as I do. They were larger than life then, and their physicality alone caught people's attention back then even if it does not now. Imagine the star of ' Demetrius and the Gladiators ' and the star of ' Passport to Shame ' meeting in a dream and insisting on their acting together and you have it. A dream for many came true to them as well as us, both with the male and female audience. Ken Hughes was a good director for them, and the screen is in stark and beautiful black and white showing off their mutual acting and physical abilities. Typecast as bad girl we all loved back then, but good at heart even when she kills in ' Yield to the Night ' (arguably her best performance) Dors shows yet again how well she could handle her sexual allure and her skills as a fine actor. Victor Mature in his rough, beat up good looks, and his equal power as a very strong actor make as I said a perfect match. And Hughes given a complex Film Noir plot does not let the audience down with trucks burning up the asphalt quite literally and corrupt men manipulating the weak and the good. No spoilers but Mature is a married man, but despite falling in love with Dors, duty to a mistaken marriage haunts him to the film's end. I enjoyed every minute of this very thrilling and sexy film (more so if the censor would have allowed) and it is well worth seeing once, and maybe more than once. Not a great film and a little bit derivative of others it somehow holds its own, and corruption in the long haul trucking business shows well the underside of British life in the mid-1950's.
Mature's Pitfall
bkoganbing15 May 2012
Although other comparisons have been made, the American film that this British noir film seems to bare the biggest resemblance for me is the Dick Powell-Lizabeth Scott-Jane Wyatt classic Pitfall. The same plot situation is at work here in The Long Haul with Mature caught between wife Gene Anderson and the voluptuous Diana Dors. The way Dors was coming on to him who could blame Vic for stumbling a bit.
Mature plays a recently discharged American GI who married a British bride and they have a son. He wants to go to America, she wants to stay in the UK. Mature acquiesces temporarily and gets a job as a truck driver handling the big rigs. The truck drivers in Great Britain seem to have the same work ethic and style as they do on this side of the pond.
But a string of bad luck forces Mature into a smuggling operation with Patrick Allen whose girlfriend is Diana Dors. Circumstances bring Mature and Dors together and with those two Jayne Mansfield like weapons of mass destruction she's sporting those who are attracted by same would find it impossible to resist.
The Long Haul with Mature giving it some American box office appeal is a pretty good noir thriller. Though the framework of the story is Pitfall like the ending comes out somewhat different. After over 50 years the film holds up very well for today's audience.
And Diana Dors's appeal is eternal.
Mature plays a recently discharged American GI who married a British bride and they have a son. He wants to go to America, she wants to stay in the UK. Mature acquiesces temporarily and gets a job as a truck driver handling the big rigs. The truck drivers in Great Britain seem to have the same work ethic and style as they do on this side of the pond.
But a string of bad luck forces Mature into a smuggling operation with Patrick Allen whose girlfriend is Diana Dors. Circumstances bring Mature and Dors together and with those two Jayne Mansfield like weapons of mass destruction she's sporting those who are attracted by same would find it impossible to resist.
The Long Haul with Mature giving it some American box office appeal is a pretty good noir thriller. Though the framework of the story is Pitfall like the ending comes out somewhat different. After over 50 years the film holds up very well for today's audience.
And Diana Dors's appeal is eternal.
Mature and the Dors in noir melo
happytrigger-64-39051716 July 2019
"The long haul" is another Ken Hughes movie who directed interesting B crime movies like "Joe Macbeth" and " Wicked as they come" (with the magnificent Arlene Dahl). American Victor Mature wishes to go back home in US, but stays a few months in Scotland to please his wife (so funny to see Mature in a duffle coat). Mature becomes involved in nasty business as a truckdriver getting deeper and deeper in problems, when he meets the angelic Diana Dors, struggling against Nigel Patrick who excells at being nasty. All that part makes me think of "Thieves' Highway". And the last part with the run in a Leyland truck is impressive , it reminds me of "Wages of fear" by Clouzot. Though Ken Hughes is less more talentuous than Dassin and Clouzot, and there are a few ridiculous dialogues.
He asked for a job...and they gave him the business!
planktonrules30 August 2016
Harry (Victor Mature) and Connie have a horrible marriage. You don't realize to what extent when the film begins...but there are definite signs they are having trouble when she refuses to move to the States when Harry's hitch in the service is over...and they HAD agreed on this move. Harry gives in and later his resentment comes out...in the form of a sexy receptionist, Lynn (Diana Dors). However, there is much more to the story...in fact, the main thrust of the film is Harry's job with a trucking company in the UK. It's run by a real creep, Joe Easy (Patrick Allen) and the guy isn't above faking hijackings of his trucks (so he can sell the loads), slapping folks about and even murder!! So how does Harry fit into all this?
In many ways, this film has a very noir feel to it. However, unlike most American noir pictures, pretty much everyone in it is a jerk! Connie is a poor excuse for a wife, Harry's moral compass becomes more and more bent through the course of the film and everyone has an aura of sliminess about them. This is NOT a complaint...more an observation. If you are looking for heroes...well, you won't really find any here....just jerks and bigger and nastier jerks! My complaint isn't really this...it's the ending when, inexplicably, there is some selflessness! Still, an exciting British film...and worth seeing.
In many ways, this film has a very noir feel to it. However, unlike most American noir pictures, pretty much everyone in it is a jerk! Connie is a poor excuse for a wife, Harry's moral compass becomes more and more bent through the course of the film and everyone has an aura of sliminess about them. This is NOT a complaint...more an observation. If you are looking for heroes...well, you won't really find any here....just jerks and bigger and nastier jerks! My complaint isn't really this...it's the ending when, inexplicably, there is some selflessness! Still, an exciting British film...and worth seeing.
Misery on the road
blanche-23 August 2021
I wasn't expecting much from "The Long Haul," but it's actually quite good. It stars Victor Mature, Diana Dors, Gene Anderson, Patrick Allen, and Peter Reynolds.
Mature is ex-GI Henry Miller, living in England with his British wife (Anderson). He wants to go back to America with her and their son, but she wants to wait a few months, to return to Liverpool and see her mother. Henry, she says, can get a job with her relative's trucking company.
It doesn't quite work out as hoped. The truck company is totally corrupt, and before Henry knows his, he's forced out of regular trucking and in order to make any money, doing illegal runs for the mob owner, Joe Easy (Allen).
Then Henry meets Joe's girlfriend, the gorgeous Lynn (Dors). She and Henry fall for one another. Henry is unhappy in his marriage, but he's not sure he can go through with leaving his wife and child.
This is a sad film about sad people: Henry, unhappily married, Lynn, in love with a married man and tied to a criminal, Henry's wife, who doesn't want to go to America, Joe, a frustrated mob boss.
A huge part of the film shows Henry's truck driving through the mountains on a narrow, rocky road and what follows - very dramatic and nerve-wracking.
I'm not a huge fan of Mature, but he does a very good job here. Dors, despite coming to fame due to her drop dead gorgeous looks, was a very good actress and is effective here.
Lots of truck driving scenes and cheap diners - they capture the lonely atmosphere very well.
Mature is ex-GI Henry Miller, living in England with his British wife (Anderson). He wants to go back to America with her and their son, but she wants to wait a few months, to return to Liverpool and see her mother. Henry, she says, can get a job with her relative's trucking company.
It doesn't quite work out as hoped. The truck company is totally corrupt, and before Henry knows his, he's forced out of regular trucking and in order to make any money, doing illegal runs for the mob owner, Joe Easy (Allen).
Then Henry meets Joe's girlfriend, the gorgeous Lynn (Dors). She and Henry fall for one another. Henry is unhappy in his marriage, but he's not sure he can go through with leaving his wife and child.
This is a sad film about sad people: Henry, unhappily married, Lynn, in love with a married man and tied to a criminal, Henry's wife, who doesn't want to go to America, Joe, a frustrated mob boss.
A huge part of the film shows Henry's truck driving through the mountains on a narrow, rocky road and what follows - very dramatic and nerve-wracking.
I'm not a huge fan of Mature, but he does a very good job here. Dors, despite coming to fame due to her drop dead gorgeous looks, was a very good actress and is effective here.
Lots of truck driving scenes and cheap diners - they capture the lonely atmosphere very well.
"You Asked for a Job and They Gave You the Business!"
richardchatten27 April 2020
Remarkably similar to Cy Endfield's 'Hell Drivers', which came out slightly earlier; but that was probably a coincidence.
This probably owes it's provenance more to Hollywood blue collar road movies of the forties like 'They Drive by Night' and 'Thieves Highway' - with a bit 'The Wages of Fear' thrown in - while the Brylcreemed, zoot-suited villain Joe Easy is presumably based on Johnny Friendly in 'On the Waterfront' and his sidekick played by Peter Reynolds on Rod Steiger's Charley.
This probably owes it's provenance more to Hollywood blue collar road movies of the forties like 'They Drive by Night' and 'Thieves Highway' - with a bit 'The Wages of Fear' thrown in - while the Brylcreemed, zoot-suited villain Joe Easy is presumably based on Johnny Friendly in 'On the Waterfront' and his sidekick played by Peter Reynolds on Rod Steiger's Charley.
Great film, high quality in all areas
markpunch16 June 2012
This is a very good film, starting with a great , sensitive script, terrific acting from Victor Mature and Diana Dors , and beautiful wide-screen B&W photography.
Anyone who's ever doubted the two leads acting ability should see this film. Diana Dors is particularly great in a role which was a surprise to me, displaying great sensitivity beyond the script, which is already very good.
I highly recommend this movie, it is much more than just a trucker, road action flick.
The relationships of the principal characters are very well drawn,
and the outcome is not the normal cliché ending one might expect.
The Long Haul is really a great film-noir of the 50s era, as good as any of the classic 40s noir, I believe.
It is available on DVD ... see it , you won't be disappointed.
Anyone who's ever doubted the two leads acting ability should see this film. Diana Dors is particularly great in a role which was a surprise to me, displaying great sensitivity beyond the script, which is already very good.
I highly recommend this movie, it is much more than just a trucker, road action flick.
The relationships of the principal characters are very well drawn,
and the outcome is not the normal cliché ending one might expect.
The Long Haul is really a great film-noir of the 50s era, as good as any of the classic 40s noir, I believe.
It is available on DVD ... see it , you won't be disappointed.
ex-military takes a job.
ksf-29 October 2020
Victor Mature was mature... already 44 when he made this one. it's a remake of an old story... Harry, the ex soldier and family man, gets out of the service, but to make ends meet, he takes part in some less than proper activities, in england. co-star Diana Dors was only about 25. she's the blond bombshell that seems to be around whenever Harry gets into trouble. and his boss is "Mister Easy". when Harry tries to get out of it all, he finds you can't leave the business that easily. a noir. hauling contraband up over the mountains, on a treacherous road. all kinds of suspense, enough for a couple hitchcock films. and the music to match. Directed by Ken Hughes. Hughes had written and directed some biggies in his time. it's pretty good. some minor flaws, but its all believe-able enough.
As much melodrama as noir
KatoeyFan12 July 2017
This is a rather wrenching melodrama for those who like such things. Although on the surface The Long Haul is a trucking film and a noir, some of the characters' interrelationships and motivations add enough heft to the tense script to make you lean forward out of your seat for more reasons than just action and suspense.
I admit to watching the film for Dors, not previously being much of a fan of Mature, but I thought his contribution to the film was every bit as solid as hers.
Dors is nowhere as hot here as she was in Tread Softly Stranger, released a year later, but she gives a solid performance.
I admit to watching the film for Dors, not previously being much of a fan of Mature, but I thought his contribution to the film was every bit as solid as hers.
Dors is nowhere as hot here as she was in Tread Softly Stranger, released a year later, but she gives a solid performance.
Trucking thriller
Leofwine_draca10 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
THE LONG HAUL is a good and tough little British thriller that benefits from a tight script and decent casting. Victor Mature falls into the bracket of 'entertaining' rather than stodgy when it comes to imported American stars, and he's given fine support from femme fatale Diana Dors at her sultriest. The story itself, of conspiracy and smuggling, is similar to that of the later HELL DRIVERS, and inevitably not as good - although I find HELL DRIVERS one of the best of the decade - but still worthwhile. Patrick Allen makes for a tough opponent and the cinematography is lively and action-packed, building to a fraught climax that also reminds one of THE WAGES OF FEAR.
A gritty drama about a haulage firm will inevitably draw comparisons with HELL DRIVERS
vampire_hounddog24 August 2020
A GI (Victor Mature) stationed in Germany is married to an English woman (Gene Anderson) and reluctantly moves back to Great Britain with his wife after being de-mobbed from the army. There he begins working for a haulage company, but refuses to carry out or get involved with the company's corrupt and illegal smuggling operations. His life comes is at risk when he falls foul of the boss (Patrick Allen) and begins an affair with the boss's mistress (Diana Dors).
Based off a novel by Mervyn Mills, it is fairly gritty stuff that draws comparisons with the likes of THIEVES HIGHWAY (1949) and most especially HELL DRIVERS (also 1957). Well done with a decent cast and Dors as the typical injured femme-fatale.
Based off a novel by Mervyn Mills, it is fairly gritty stuff that draws comparisons with the likes of THIEVES HIGHWAY (1949) and most especially HELL DRIVERS (also 1957). Well done with a decent cast and Dors as the typical injured femme-fatale.
great start
SnoopyStyle28 August 2020
Harry Miller (Victor Mature) is married with a young son. He leaves the U.S. military and becomes an independent trucker in Britain. Soon, it's obvious that the business is rigged by corrupted Joe Easy who controls the trucking network. He's the head of a smuggling and stealing operation. Lynn (Diana Dors) is his blonde, bombshell, rebellious mistress who runs away with Harry.
I really like the start and its premise. The first time Harry enters the trucking office is great. Diana Dors is fine as the English Marilyn Monroe. Once they run away together, the movie needs to go all-in with that. I really like the innkeeper slyly mentioning the room for rent to the married couple but the movie stalls after that. The movie needs to sex it up while a jealous Joe Easy goes crazy in pursuit. I am less enamored with the second half. I don't care that much about his family. They're not really necessary but that road trip is very much necessary. That drive in the country is a great bit of road trip. All in all, this is a pretty good British crime thriller although I would still change some of it.
I really like the start and its premise. The first time Harry enters the trucking office is great. Diana Dors is fine as the English Marilyn Monroe. Once they run away together, the movie needs to go all-in with that. I really like the innkeeper slyly mentioning the room for rent to the married couple but the movie stalls after that. The movie needs to sex it up while a jealous Joe Easy goes crazy in pursuit. I am less enamored with the second half. I don't care that much about his family. They're not really necessary but that road trip is very much necessary. That drive in the country is a great bit of road trip. All in all, this is a pretty good British crime thriller although I would still change some of it.
'The Long Haul', directed by Ken Hughes - 1957.
stevejhindle11 November 2022
Electricity and rain don't mix ...... well, they do in this! Mature and Dors pulse sexuality in this Brit/noir grime fest.
Corrupt haulage drivers slouch and scheme in fuggy roadside greasy-spoons. Dockside scenes exude salty damp. Fully laden trucks burn tar between Liverpool and Glasgow. Violent racketeer Joe Easy (Patrick Allen) poisons the screen with arrogant menace.
Special mention for Diana Dors as 'Lynn'. She radiates brazen immodesty yet reveals raw vulnerability. Emotionally exposed. Quite something.
* You get to see Victor Mature in a duffel coat!
* Perhaps the real star of the show - the 1955 Leyland Octopus 24.0 truck!
Nasty and Sleazy, this movie was really rather good.
Corrupt haulage drivers slouch and scheme in fuggy roadside greasy-spoons. Dockside scenes exude salty damp. Fully laden trucks burn tar between Liverpool and Glasgow. Violent racketeer Joe Easy (Patrick Allen) poisons the screen with arrogant menace.
Special mention for Diana Dors as 'Lynn'. She radiates brazen immodesty yet reveals raw vulnerability. Emotionally exposed. Quite something.
* You get to see Victor Mature in a duffel coat!
* Perhaps the real star of the show - the 1955 Leyland Octopus 24.0 truck!
Nasty and Sleazy, this movie was really rather good.
Mature & Dors Trucking Noir
TheFearmakers12 February 2021
What begins as a kind of lightweight HELL DRIVERS with token Yankee Victor Mature joining a breakneck trucking company, having to drive as quickly and dangerously as possible, far too quickly turns into an ON THE WATERFRONT of crooked British hauling...
Where a time-worn yet leathery-tough Mature... sprung from Army life and stuck in Liverpool with a wife who wants to stay put (plus a young son)... screws up company mob boss Patrick Allen's caper of robbing his own business...
Thus making both the verbal and physical altercations between Mature (with plucky sidekick Liam Redmond) and Allen... equally square-jawed, stubborn and no-nonsense... fairly entertaining Noir...
But it's full-lipped Diana Dors as this film's femme fatale and vulnerable moll hybrid who makes Mature snap to life, remaining intense and narrowed even when he agrees to help the villain (her abusive lover) in a British crime/heist flick that cruises along at an intentionally slowburn pace...
It's just... with so much exposition about the particular scheme going down... a bit difficult figuring out what exactly the good guy and bad guy are really after -- except time spent with Dors, which is a given.
Where a time-worn yet leathery-tough Mature... sprung from Army life and stuck in Liverpool with a wife who wants to stay put (plus a young son)... screws up company mob boss Patrick Allen's caper of robbing his own business...
Thus making both the verbal and physical altercations between Mature (with plucky sidekick Liam Redmond) and Allen... equally square-jawed, stubborn and no-nonsense... fairly entertaining Noir...
But it's full-lipped Diana Dors as this film's femme fatale and vulnerable moll hybrid who makes Mature snap to life, remaining intense and narrowed even when he agrees to help the villain (her abusive lover) in a British crime/heist flick that cruises along at an intentionally slowburn pace...
It's just... with so much exposition about the particular scheme going down... a bit difficult figuring out what exactly the good guy and bad guy are really after -- except time spent with Dors, which is a given.
A lazy afternoon killer
Coffee_in_the_Clink16 April 2020
"The Long Haul" is a decent film-noir that takes place in Britain and follows Harry, an American who finishes his stint in the US Army in Germany and sets sights on returning to America with his English wife and their young son. His wife is apprehensive about moving to the States, and talks Harry in to stopping off in Liverpool along the way. Here, she gets Harry set up as a long-haulage truck driver for her uncle's business. It turns out to be a shady job; her uncle's firm are involved in some dodgy dealings, and before long Harry is sucked in to it. Victor Mature carries this film all the way and even manages to sustain the interest when it begins to get heavy. For a film that is 100 minutes long or so, it does manage to overstay its welcome and becomes a bit of a bore. The drive through the Scottish Highlands near the end was something that should have been a lot more riveting that it is, but by that stage I found my interest in the story waning. But in saying that there is a lot going for; the acting, for one. Mature, as mentioned, is strong, while Diana Dors does enough to support him and Patrick Allen, although slight overwrought at times, is good, too.
Trucking great!
trimmerb123418 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Forget Diana Dors, I want that Leyland Octopus truck! It's the real hero.
For some reason in the 50's there were a lot of British films revolving around trucks. Most creditably 1957's Hell Drivers, 1960's The Highjackers, another where a couple drive overland to South Africa - and get stuck in the middle of a shallow river. This film is literally a composite of all those with a little of Tread Softly, Stranger thrown in. It suffers rather than gains because it has too many subplots so that it lacks focus.
But back to the truck, I guess, as did another reviewer who clearly knows his trucks, that for Leyland this was a great opportunity to showcase their vehicle on a very challenging but very scenic route over the top of a mountain. It is the high point for me at least. .
For some reason in the 50's there were a lot of British films revolving around trucks. Most creditably 1957's Hell Drivers, 1960's The Highjackers, another where a couple drive overland to South Africa - and get stuck in the middle of a shallow river. This film is literally a composite of all those with a little of Tread Softly, Stranger thrown in. It suffers rather than gains because it has too many subplots so that it lacks focus.
But back to the truck, I guess, as did another reviewer who clearly knows his trucks, that for Leyland this was a great opportunity to showcase their vehicle on a very challenging but very scenic route over the top of a mountain. It is the high point for me at least. .
Familiar Retread of Truckers, Heists, Corruption, Wives at Home, Dames on the Road
LeonLouisRicci8 November 2022
The Trucking Gig is Fraught with Rigs, in Varying States of "Road-Ready" Repair. Tweaked-Out..."No Sleep 'Til...?", Drivers, Sneaky and Corrupt Bosses, and a Torrent of Road-Dames and Wives at Home (usually with a Kid(s).
That's the Formula on Both Sides of the Pond and here We Have 1-More. Feeding on the Collective Convoy of Films, that Could be Said, to Have its Own Sub-Genre of Melodramatic Noirs.
Well, the "Big Wheels Keep On Truckin'" in this British Version, with Imported Victor Mature as an Ex-GI, Every Male Lead, from 1945-60 that was Worth a Damn had at Least 1 War Story Added to the Script.
Here Mature, is a Natural as a Rough-Looking, Worn-Out "Tough" Trying to Eek-Out a Paycheck +Bonus Incentives, in a Blue-Collar Work-World that was Unkind in Many Ways.
This Story is Heavy on Family.
With Ambiguous Behavior from a Wife, who has a Secret, and the Straying Victor Mature, who Stays with and Plays with the Impeccably Clothed and Made-Up Diana Dors, for the Triangular Trio of Angst. But Mature's Wife may have Scored 1st in that Game of Affairs.
There's Plenty of Fisticuffs and Road Action to Add to the Gritty Flavor, with the 3rd Act Borrowing Yet Again from a Story of Treacherous Terrain Topping-Off the Final Road Trip.
But There's More to Come...
Wrapping Up the Domestic Set-Up with Added Angst More Tragic than Most, Even Noirs, as the Ending to this Tuff-Stuff of a Movie that had a Grim, Damn Near Fatalist Tone Throughout.
Yes Film-Noir was Here to Stay, even in Britain, where the Genre would be Impaired Upon with Varying Degrees of "Success".
Until it Finally Died a Whimpering Death by 1960-or so, and was Reincarnated as "Neo-Noir".
Above-Average.
That's the Formula on Both Sides of the Pond and here We Have 1-More. Feeding on the Collective Convoy of Films, that Could be Said, to Have its Own Sub-Genre of Melodramatic Noirs.
Well, the "Big Wheels Keep On Truckin'" in this British Version, with Imported Victor Mature as an Ex-GI, Every Male Lead, from 1945-60 that was Worth a Damn had at Least 1 War Story Added to the Script.
Here Mature, is a Natural as a Rough-Looking, Worn-Out "Tough" Trying to Eek-Out a Paycheck +Bonus Incentives, in a Blue-Collar Work-World that was Unkind in Many Ways.
This Story is Heavy on Family.
With Ambiguous Behavior from a Wife, who has a Secret, and the Straying Victor Mature, who Stays with and Plays with the Impeccably Clothed and Made-Up Diana Dors, for the Triangular Trio of Angst. But Mature's Wife may have Scored 1st in that Game of Affairs.
There's Plenty of Fisticuffs and Road Action to Add to the Gritty Flavor, with the 3rd Act Borrowing Yet Again from a Story of Treacherous Terrain Topping-Off the Final Road Trip.
But There's More to Come...
Wrapping Up the Domestic Set-Up with Added Angst More Tragic than Most, Even Noirs, as the Ending to this Tuff-Stuff of a Movie that had a Grim, Damn Near Fatalist Tone Throughout.
Yes Film-Noir was Here to Stay, even in Britain, where the Genre would be Impaired Upon with Varying Degrees of "Success".
Until it Finally Died a Whimpering Death by 1960-or so, and was Reincarnated as "Neo-Noir".
Above-Average.
great fun,why is Hell Drivers better known?
ib011f9545i27 April 2020
I saw this on a vintage film channel and loved it.
Somehow I had never seen it before.
Victor Mature is great in this,what a guy,he looks like if he punched you you would know it.
Diana Dors is not respected as an actress but I think she did good work in a lot of her films.
She is the perfect actress for her part in this.
Patrick Allen is very good in a bigger part than he usually plays.
I would call this British noir.
It is a mystery that Hell Drivers is so much better known.
Look out for this one,if you see it you will like it.
Samson & Diana
TondaCoolwal15 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Victor Mature's permanent anguished scowl is perfect for this gritty working class drama, which is very similar to Hell Drivers. However, instead of the annoying juvenile Peggy Cummins, we have Diana Dors in full screen goddess mode.
Mature plays Harry Miller, a discharged US Army veteran based in England. He is married to dependable, dowdy Connie who is reluctant to accompany him back to the States. To placate her, Harry agrees to move to Liverpool and take a driving job with her uncle's haulage firm.
On his first run to Glasgow, Harry is double-teamed with Casey. When they park at a truck stop Harry notices two men unloading stuff from Casey's truck. They laugh at him when he remonstrates with them and a fight ensues. Casey appears and hustles Harry away, later explaining that he is in cahoots with the men and receives payment for turning a blind eye. Touting for a return load at the offices of Joe Easy in Glasgow, the two men recognise Harry and he is deliberately . overlooked. Wanting to complain he goes to Joe's office and finds his glamorous girlfriend Lynn (Dors) sitting at his desk. And boy! Can she sit! Harry gets beaten up for his trouble and Lynn helps him, starting the chemistry. Trying to get Harry on side Joe (Patrick Allen) meets him at the truckstop offering him cash to come in on the racket he is running. Lynn bursts in wearing evening clothes. She's tired of waiting. Joe slaps her around tearing her dress, to the enjoyment of the truckers present. Humiliated she flees and gets into Harry's truck and they end up spending the night together. When Harry's truck is stolen from outside the hotel, he figures it was all a setup and angrily sends her away. He quickly realises his mistake and resumes the relationship, even getting involved with Easy's scheme. However, he is becoming more and more estranged from Connie and his son, feeling that they have held him back. Connie guesses he is seeing someone else but he says he is ending the affair for the sake of his son Butch. In an angry exchange, Connie reveals that Butch is not his son but was fathered by Harry's army buddy Al, who used to live with them. This is one of the most unexpectedly emotional scenes in the film, a reversal of the usual situation, exposing male hypocrisy. Typically, Harry storms out and agrees to Easy's latest scheme, to smuggle a consignment of furs across Scotland onto a ship in a secluded bay. The trials of the vintage Leyland Octopus over highland tracks have to be seen to believed. Naturally skullduggery takes place but eventually. Harry realises that family is the most important thing and says goodbye to Lynn who is last seen in the back of a taxi en-route to the sleazy night club where she used to work.
This movie has a lot to offer. Just seeing examples of classic British trucks will please many, plus views of fifties Liverpool and Glasgow docks. Patrick Allen has just the menacing presence for a convincing villain. Witness how he callously guns down Lynn's brother. And, despite their received on-screen personas, the principals can both act, particularly Diana. If you take the time to listen instead of just looking! As usual there is a host of British character actors making up the roster. A top class Britfilm!
MANY FINE CONTRIBUTIONS CAN NOT OVERCOME THE SCRIPT.
rsoonsa16 June 2004
This is a stalwart attempt to produce an example of British Noir, its screenplay reducing its importance. Distributed by Columbia, this work based upon a novel by Mervyn Mills was well received in England, due in large part to popularity of its principal female player, Diana Dors, whose skill as actress stands and falls solely upon her physical attributes. Victor Mature portrays Harry Miller, an American soldier who, after his discharge in Germany, moves to England with wife Connie (Gene Anderson) and son since his spouse rejects all attempts to return to the United States with his new family. Harry finds employment, through an uncle of his wife, as a truck driver, his occupation in military service, and carries out his duties with diligence, but tension increases for the married pair because of Connie's determination to remain in England near her family. Harry's strained home life makes him vulnerable to a liaison with Lynn (Dors), girl friend of illicit marketeer Joe Easy (Patrick Allen) and the ex-G.I. soon forsakes his honour by becoming embroiled in smuggling operations with Easy. The script written by director Ken Hughes is hackneyed as Hughes relies upon melodrama at the expense of character development, as evidenced by his often trite dialogue. Not surprisingly then the most interesting action takes place during scenes requiring little discussion, when Harry, Joe and Lynn are struggling to maneuver a large fur-laden rig across rocky expanses in the Scottish Highlands to rendezvous with an anchored vessel. Mature makes the best of his lines, giving an earnest performance but acting honours go to Allen with his consistent reading as Harry's dishonest boss and rival for Lynn's affection, while good turns are given by Liam Redmond and John Welsh; Dors is barely adequate, until she speaks. Suitably atmospheric jazzy scoring by Trevor Duncan and Basil Emmott's fluid camerawork are impressive, along with skillful contributions from Raymond Poulton (editing) and John Hoesli (sets), all sadly minimized due to a banal scenario.
A truck driver's nightmare
clanciai6 November 2022
He is lucky to get out of it alive, but that's about all there is to it after all is lost, and we can't even guess what the rest of the "life" will be. Being discharged after the war he obeys his English wife to follow her back to Liverpool, where her uncle gives him a job as a truck driver of long hauls between Liverpool and Glasgow. He gets mixed up with rackets and "Britain's only blonde bomb shell" Diana Dors, who is dangerously involved with a chief racketeer because of her brother, and you can tell from the beginning that that brother is not going to end well. The plot tightens with the agglomeration of intrigues and things going wrong, and there is a great finale sequence when they struggle to get a loaded truck across the wildest hills of western Scotland. There are a number of explosive fisticuffs, and Victor Mature as usual gets very much knocked about. But it's a great noir thriller, and although you might resent the dreary circumstances and environments in shabby bars and places and the Congo night club in Liverpool, the drama will remain sustained until the end, which offers a kind of redemption although you are left wondering indeed about the ensuing outcome.
Mature is a riot!
JohnHowardReid3 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A most deftly dingy and stupendously noirish account of crooked road hauling with dreamboat Diana Dors getting her dress ripped off and horrifyingly pugnacious Patrick Allen having his competitors bashed up at the drop of a hijacked hat. Good old Victor Mature turns in a riotously hammy account of the harassed hero, but the acting honors are stolen by Liam Redmond as a jaunty rogue. Directed with style, pace and stacks of noir atmosphere by Ken Hughes from his own screenplay based on the novel by Mervyn Mills, plus superbly stylish photography by Basil Emmot for the main unit. Tom Morahan (director) and Hyton Craig (photographer) contribute some marvelous 2nd unit work, and best of all, film editor Raymound Poulton has seen to it that the film moves like the proverbial boomerang from Bonnyrigg for its entire 100 minutes.
The Leyland Lorry is the real star
andyjg4 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Previous post's comments are right on the money, poor dialogue and acting by some players, production values are high though, with thoughtful music scoring. The scene where Mature changes the front wheel of the truck under 5 foot of water in a Scottish loch has to be seen to be believed(it's ridiculous) For me the real star is the Leyland Octopus 8 wheel truck, the punishment that it takes on the poor roads is a testament to the trucks robustness,(would make a good advertisement for Leyland Trucks, only they are out of business in 2006) they don't make 'em like that these days unfortunately there are only too many poor films today though
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