Why do I keep forgetting that I've seen so many Jules Dassin movies? Did I just assume I'd know more in French than in English, because I started with Rififi? (The man was born in Connecticut, for crying out loud.) Or is it just that none of them live up to that one in my mind? Anyway, this one came out the year between The Naked City and Night and the City, so you could bet it's urban and noir.
Nick (Richard Conte) returns from war to find his produce-farming father legless from a vehicle accident and almost certainly swindled by San Francisco-based dealer Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Nick decides with neighbor Ed (Millard Mitchell) to take two truckloads of in-demand apples to Figlia and drive a harder bargain than Nick's dad did. AFAICT, that's the extent of the justice Nick has in mind. But he underestimates what depths Figlia will go to for extra profit.
One of those depths involves distraction by an implicit prostitute, Rica (Valentina Cortese). Nick is engaged to one Polly (Barbara Lawrence) and has no such interest in Rica, but she has ways of keeping him busy regardless. She actually regrets her role in this trickery and hopes that Nick will forgive her. Later, Polly shows up and reveals her own dark side. I'm a little concerned that the movie might give viewers a negative idea about women in general.
The forces of Figlia are not the only dangers to Nick and Ed's endeavor. Ed had initially partnered with untrustworthy fellows Pete (Joseph Pevney) and "Slob" (Jack Oakie, who is deaf but totally doesn't show it). They still intend to make their own apple delivery to Figlia, with one truck, so they can take turns driving. For this reason, Nick and Ed don't dare sleep as they drive separate trucks hundreds of miles. And those trucks are in such bad condition that some scenes remind me of The Wages of Fear.
Dassin was unhappy with the happy ending tacked on by producer Darryl F. Zanuck. I'm of two minds: It can be a relief from the usual noir downer, and perhaps it plays better to U.S. audiences, but it does feel forced and too easily obtained. I'm sure the A. I. Bezzerides novel Thieves' Market didn't end anything like that.
Regardless, TH wasn't a bad way to cap my latest streak of crime flick viewings. The 94 minutes doesn't always feel fast, but it never bored me.
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