Violent Road (1958)



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Violent Road (1958) Plot

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Truck drivers take cargo of explosives over bumpy mountain road.

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The Cyclone Rocket Company is a military contractor building missiles for the U.S. Air Force. The company also produces the highly volatile rocket fuel used in the missiles. During a test, a missile explodes. For safety reasons, the government decides to move the company from its current location, nearby an army base and small town, to a new remote location. However, the plant's dangerous chemicals must be moved by truck to the new location via secondary unpaved roads bypassing all inhabited areas, towns and communities. Moreover, the move must be completed fast and the plant must be operational in three days, in order to maintain its government contract. Three trucks are selected to transport the dangerous rocket fuels. Short on drivers for such a dangerous assignment, the company hires a motley crew of desperate men to drive the trucks through rough terrain to the new location. Each truck has a driver and a helper. Each man is promised five thousand dollars as payment upon successful delivery of the trucks and cargo. The six men are: recently unemployed maverick trucker Mitch Barton, company representative and fuel developer scientist George Lawrence, retired Marine sergeant Frank Miller, amiable drunk Pat Farley, compulsive gambler Ben and expert mechanic Joe. On the day of departure, a drunken Pat is replaced by his younger brother Ken who is a hot-rod race car driver. After the departure, each man explains his motivation for taking the job and what he will do with his pay. As expected, the three-truck convoy runs into trouble.

plot
Truck drivers take cargo of explosives over bumpy mountain road.

Director: Howard W. Koch

Writers: Richard H. Landau (screenplay) (as Richard Landau), Don Martin (story)

Stars: Brian Keith, Dick Foran, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. | See full cast & crew » The Violent Road casts Brian Keith taking on a really hazardous trip, transporting three components of rocket fuel, any one of them could reek havoc of some kind if it is jarred. Making it worse Keith has to travel over an abandoned road with little traffic that is rocky. It's like traveling with nitroglycerin with triple the risk.

The place storing the stuff has to move because a military rocket experiment went horribly wrong and crashed into the town causing death and destruction. Keith also has to pick five other men willing to make the risk. One is picked for him, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. who is a scientist and knows how to handle the fuel.

The other four are Sean Garrison, Perry Lopez, Arthur Batanides and Dick Foran. Foran's portrayal is a poignant one. A former Marine who was mandatory retired he can't get used to it. He just drinks all day and bores the young Marines at the bar that Keith finds him. Foran's scenes with wife Ann Doran are truly touching.

The Violent Road is a nice no frills B picture from Warner Brothers, the kind that used to fill the second bill on a program. Now that stuff would be found on television and shortly Keith and Zimbalist would be seen there often.

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Title: Violent Road (1958) Violent Road (1958) on IMDb 6.2/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

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.    Edit Cast

Complete credited cast: Brian Keith  Brian Keith   ... Mitch Barton Dick Foran  Dick Foran   ... Frank 'Sarge' Miller Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ... George Lawrence Merry Anders  Merry Anders   ... Carrie - The Girl in the Convertible Sean Garrison  Sean Garrison   ... Ken Farley Joanna Barnes  Joanna Barnes   ... Peg Lawrence Perry Lopez  Perry Lopez   ... Manuelo Arthur Batanides  Arthur Batanides   ... Ben Ed Prentiss  Ed Prentiss   ...  Mr. Nelson Ann Doran  Ann Doran   ... Edith Miller John Dennis  John Dennis   ... Pat Farley

See full cast »

View production, box office, & company info .     Edit Storyline

The Cyclone Rocket Company is a military contractor building missiles for the U.S. Air Force. The company also produces the highly volatile rocket fuel used in the missiles. During a test, a missile explodes. For safety reasons, the government decides to move the company from its current location, nearby an army base and small town, to a new remote location. However, the plant's dangerous chemicals must be moved by truck to the new location via secondary unpaved roads bypassing all inhabited areas, towns and communities. Moreover, the move must be completed fast and the plant must be operational in three days, in order to maintain its government contract. Three trucks are selected to transport the dangerous rocket fuels. Short on drivers for such a dangerous assignment, the company hires a motley crew of desperate men to drive the trucks through rough terrain to the new location. Each truck has a driver and a helper. Each man is promised five thousand dollars as payment upon ... Written by nufs68 Plot Summary | Add Synopsis Plot Keywords: truck driver | male male relationship | male female relationship | husband wife relationship | dysfunctional marriage | See All (33) »

Taglines: ... to ride the load he rode you had to be more than a man! See more »

Genres: Adventure |  Drama

Certificate: Unrated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide: Add content advisory for parents » .    Edit Details

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 10 May 1958 (USA) See more »

Also Known As: Hell's Highway See more »

Filming Locations: Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co: Aubrey Schenck Productions See more »

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime: 86 min

Sound Mix: Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color: Black and White

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1 See full technical specs ». Edit Did You Know?

Trivia The rocket launch at the beginning of the movie is a Viking rocket. According to "The Viking Rocket Story" by Rosen, a static test, where the rocket engine is fired but the rocket remains on the pad, went bad when the Viking rocket left the launch pad completely out of control. Housing for the families of the workers were close enough to be within range. Luckily the rocket landed in the desert and did not hurt anyone. See more »

Goofs When Frank tightened the cap to prevent the corrosive liquid from leaking out, he uses his bare hand which leads to severe burning, rather than simply using his shirt or scarf for protection. Or, better yet, he could have used a wrench from the tool box his mechanic was using at the time. See more »

Quotes Mitch Barton: If we run out of oil, we'll spit in the engine. See more »

Connections Version of The Wages of Fear (1953) See more »

Soundtracks Breezing Along With The Breeze by Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons (as Seymour B. Simons) and Richard A. Whiting (ASCAP) Marlong Music Corp./Remick Music Corp. Sung by Sean Garrison See more ».

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