Thunder Road

Plot synopsis:
Lucas Doolin evades arrest by agents of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Treasury Department, led by Troy Barrett. Upon returning to his home in a country valley, a local liquor transporter is killed in an ambush. His father suspects that the ambush was set up by Kogan, an outside racketeer trying to muscle in. Luke resists Kogan's pressure. and his father recommends that the locals contract out and change their routes to protect themselves. His brother wants to accompany him but Luke will not allow him in the business. Luke is ambushed by Kogan's men on a delivery but he escapes. Luke makes the delivery, and then resists pleas from his girl friend Francie to settle down with him and further attempts but Kogan to horn in. Luke assaults Kogan when the latter threatens him and is detained by Barrett. Barrett releases him on the theory that Luke will lead him to Kogan. Kogan orders another attempt on Luke after noting his quick release from custody. Unknown to Kogan, Luke has sold his car to another moonshine and he and a federal agent are killed by a car bomb. Luke feels guilt over the moonshine's death but will not stop the deliveries, despite many locals getting out of the business due to increased pressure from the government and Kogan. Luke is ambushed again by Kogan, escapes, and is warned again by his brother of Kogan. After being rebuffed again, his brother makes a delivery for another moonshine working for Kogan. Luke stops the delivery in time then threatens to kill Kogan. Luke's family then seeks out Barrett to find Luke before carrying out the threat. Barrett arrests Kogan for involvement in murder, then tries to intercept Luke. Luke's car runs through their roadblock, goes out of control and spectacularly crashes, killing him. Luke's family then awaits the return of Luke's body.

Tags: revenge, cult, murder, violence

Review:
The longest running feud in US history, the century-long White-Baker Feud (also called the Clay County Wars) was resurrected due to the two clans' competition in tanking the moon throughout Appalachia.Inherently a sad but realistic work, Mitchum's excellent performance and an honest, understated script give us a snapshot of an American way of life that few outside of the rural South could ever comprehend.
With his sleepy eyes, he slaps around the rival moonshiners, basically tells the ATF boys they'll never get him, tries to keep his younger brother (Played by Mitchum's 17 year old son, Jim.) away from the moon business.
"Let me tell the story, I can tell it well, 'bout the whipperwill that drove...", well you know the song if you have seen the movie.Imagine a drive-in filled with 'Rods'.
Mitchum also helped write the lead song "Thunder Road" and the second song in the movie, "Whipporwill."  He also recorded the title song and it was high on the pop charts for months.
Though technically far from perfect (the cars seem to change styles during the chase scenes), and the acting in places leaves a LOT to be desired, old movie theater operators will tell you they can still fill all their seats with a double bill of "Thunder Road" and "Rebel Without A Cause."  I'll certainly be there every chance I get..
An Overlooked Gem. Thunder Road is an outstanding film and occupies an interesting place in Mitchum's evolution as an actor.
Mitchum is shown as a man of great complexity--trying to encourage his younger brother to get involved with something other than fast cars and moonshine, recommending that he join the service and get involved with advanced aviation technology.
In the movie, Robert Mitchum plays a Korean war vet who has come back home to find he must fight for his way of life.
Mitchum also oversees his younger brother's film debut.NOTE: It is said that Elvis Presley enjoyed this movie so much he memorized bad Bob's lines of the script..
From the opening scene of a 1950 Ford coupe racing along a mountain road to the closing crash of a 1957 Ford - yes that must have been the product placement company, along with the tobacco industry, but the cops get around in great 1957 Chevy Bel Airs - this movie has plenty of involving drama centred around a guy who acts as a transporter for moonshiners.
Mitchum is wonderful as always, and this film must have meant a lot to him -- he wrote the story and starred, as well as co-writing and singing the radio hit that came out of it.
A major drive-in film -- it was more or less in continuous release from 1958 to the early 70s -- Thunder Road embodied an attitude that prevailed in the little Texas towns I grew up in, and that is still a part of America's strange outlaw subcultures.
More than a half-century before Yost The Younger decided to bring Harlan County back to the small screen in Justified (see my many reviews on the IMDb) you have this little gem.As one of the characters laments on screen, "We've been making shine here for more than 250 years" and that is all the reason anyone really needs for this film.Enjoy the chase scenes.
Just when it looks like he's about to get caught by a bumper clamping device on the front of the 57, he activates a lever that releases the rear bumper of the 50 Ford and leaves the G-men sitting there holding nothing but a bumper.With a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, Robert Mitchum as sleepy-eyed Lucas Doolin seems utterly cool and totally unafraid of anything that stands in the way of his way of making a living, which happens to be transporting illegal liquor.
The movie deserves better only because of the great performance by Robert Mitchum, one of the coolest actors of all times.The story, directed by Arthur Ripley, presents us with a situation that was deemed a problem back at the time when the movie was made, but wouldn't raise an eyelash now.
The illegal production of "moonshine" by the poor farmers of rural Tennessee was persecuted vigorously because obviously it was a money making enterprise and the government wasn't getting a cut, in the way of taxes.Lucas Doolin is a Korean War veteran who comes home to find no job awaiting him.
My dad's favourite movie is thunder road and he used to sing the song when I was young.
In backwoods Tennessee, slick cigarette smoker Robert Mitchum (as Lucas "Luke" Doolin) wins a car chase with federal agents.
Mitchum wants his son out of the family business, which has been bootlegging, way back to their ancestors in Ireland..."Thunder Road" is a great title, especially for a "drive-in" movie.
Thunder Road is the film that Robert Mitchum got to use all his many talents.
The other song, Whipporwill, he left to the considerable talents of Keely Smith who appeared in this film with him.The story is about moonshiners, those mountain people in the Appalachians and the Ozarks who distill their own spirits and sell it at a cut rate price.
He's after racketeer Jacques Aubuchon who wants to eliminate the independent moonshiners like Robert Mitchum and his family.
Barry would like Mitchum's help, but Mitchum says a plague on both your houses.Mitchum with his hobohemian life in his formative years which included jail time among such people learned their ways very well, knowledge put to great use in creating this story.
It's usually in the top 10 of anybody's list in the films of Robert Mitchum.Making his screen debut is Bob's oldest son James Mitchum whose resemblance is so uncanny he looks more like a clone than an offspring.
I was very surprised to see that Robert Mitchum wrote the story, and that he co-wrote a song used in the movie.I didn't realize he was so talented.I remember hearing the BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD on the radio, recorded by Robert Mitchum, and was surprised to see the movie, where someone else (not identified) sings that song.It was fun noticing the differences between life in 1958 and how things are today.So, this was how NASCAR got started.Pretty interesting stuff!Thank you..
If you like car chases, you should enjoy this movie about a moonshiner played by Robert Mitchum who outruns and and outdrives the revenue men and also outmaneuvers the thugs of a dirty businessman who wants to put Mitchum's family out of business.
Despite it all, this film is often thrilling  due in part to Robert Mitchum's very strong performance and charisma and in part to the many scenes which are very well shot with good camera work.
There's just something about a 1950's jalopy roaring down a winding dirt road in the mountains of Tennessee that makes our hearts race and few movies have captured that like this film has!
The cars are almost as big of a star in this movie as Robert Mitchum is.
The scene of a caravan of car headlights after dark on a winding mountain road bringing home the mountain's dead sons is touching and memorable and sad for what it represents and yet sometimes the characters and situations seem just a bit too much like caricatures instead of real people and real moments.
Also, watch for Robert Mitchum's son Jim in an interesting debut in this movie  If you like car chases and moonshine runnin' movies, this is the one for you!.
Robert Mitchum plays Luke Doolin, a stubborn man who is a war defector and also in charge of the illegal moon-shining business run by his family for 250 years.
naturally doing the lead acting honours, is credited with the original story-line, cops a production credit and even co-writes the winsome "Whipoorwill" ballad which frequents the movie.The movie itself comes off like a contemporary "beat" novel set to film, an unglamorous story of moonshine whisky transporters living just outside the law with Mitchum's Luke Doolan's character as talismanic main driver, not part of any team, but somehow the lightning rod around whom the whole story sparks.While obviously low-budget, there's a good cast here who give the film an ensemble feel and if you can ignore the obvious process "driving in my car" shots, there are also some exciting car chases, particularly the concluding one which sees Doolan meet his demise.Mitchum even introduces us to his son James in a prominent acting role and while he, not unnaturally, seems too young to be his old man's kid brother, he certainly seems like a chip off the old block.
No beauty and obviously contrasted with the prettier more youthful girl with a major crush on Mitchum, their "love" scenes (I'm stretching the term) come across with engaging naturalism and realism.Perhaps the film has a little too many sub-plots and characters for its own good and it takes some while to find its rhythm, but once it settles, it finds a kinetic energy which keeps you watching and draws you into its small world, inspiring genuine interest in the characters.
The movie was called " Thunder Road" and stars Robert Mitchum as 'cool driving' Lucas Doolin.
The night time, high speed chases along some of the hottest roads in the back woods, makes for exciting, shoot-em up, roll-over action and Mitchem is superb as the ex-army veteran, turned moonshine runner.
Robert Mitchum's on screen persona is what makes this 50's film a true Classic.
This movie was ahead of it's time, in it's day, when it came to the car chase scenes.
Lucas tries to keep his teenage brother Robin(played by Mitchums lookalike son James) out of the business, but Robin hopes to be like his brother one day.
The sad part of all of this is, with a name like, 'Thunder Road', along with the subject matter and all that this conjures up, there is huge potential for a very good movie here.
Robert Mitchum stars in and developed the story for this popular drive-in entry about a moonshine family in the south harassed by U.S. treasurers and gangsters.
Me, being a car fanatic, I admired these guys, like my father's generation admired the outlaws of the old west.I was six years old when I first saw it, and the part where Robert Mitchum's '50 Ford drops oil on the road, sending the bad guys over a cliff was the neatest thing I saw.
Robert Mitchum was as his best when he played an outlaw, and this movie is no exception.
THUNDER ROAD is about the efforts of moonshiner Robert Mitchum to run carloads of illegal liquor past federal authorities AND avoid being killed by a mob that is attempting to corner the industry.
While I know this could not have been the intention, those who watch THUNDER ROAD are likely to assume that 1950s Southerners are all a bunch of hillbilly moonshiners!
The only item of minor interest was seeing Robert Mitchum's oldest son, James--especially since he looked like the spitting image of his old man.
Robert Mitchum is terrific as always in this drive-in classic, one of the all time great movies made about moonshiners.
He does his damnedest to keep his younger brother Robin (played by Bobs' son James, who makes his film debut here) from entering the business as a driver, while romancing a chanteuse named Francie (Keely Smith).
Lucas has his hands full dealing with a ruthless rival, Carl Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon), while a dedicated Treasury agent, Troy Barrett (Gene Barry) tries to make a deal with him."Thunder Road" might not appeal to B movie enthusiasts across the board, because, in the end, it's got more drama in it than action.
While watching, keep an eye out for a few prominent character actors, making their own film debuts in uncredited roles: Peter Breck, Jerry Hardin, Mitchell Ryan.Bob also co-wrote that plaintive song "The Whipoorwill", crooned in the movie by Ms. Smith, and got a hit record out of the title tune.Seven out of 10..
Enjoyed this Robert Mitchum film where he plays the role as a Korean War Veteran named Lucas Doolin who returns to his family and continues to carry on the family trade of running moonshine whiskey from the family still.
It was nice seeing Robert Mitchum's oldest son also giving a supporting role in this film..
Anyone who enjoys a nostalgic look back at the muscle cars of the '50's and the romance of running moonshine whiskey through winding Appalachian Mountain roads will fall in love with this film.
The merits of this film are its portrayal of the moonshine running lifestyle, which most people undoubtedly are unfamiliar with, the car chase scenes, which were spectacular for their time, and ofcourse Robert Mitchum.
Cars are wrecked, a few people killed along the way, but Thunder Road is basically just an old fashioned good guys vs.
It made me get in my car and drive like Robert Mitchum.
Moonshine,Moonshine quenched the devils thirst..............My dad always watched this movie.Every time I walked in Thunder Road was on!I never minded Black & White movies so one day I brought it in my room and TRYED to watch the whole thing.I fell asleep half way through it.There is about 5 minutes in the middle that I've never seen.One day I got home and it was in so I watched the last half.I don't think I'll ever see the whole thing!Because after thousands and thousands of times watching it my dad lost it!He loves Robert Mithum so he moved on to Track of the Cat!There are many good parts in that movie though.One part they are saying grace and his son says:"Good food,Good meat, it's getting late let's eat!".
For years I had been longing to watch it and I surely wasn't disappointed at all - that is, I missed "The Ballad Of Thunder Road" sung by Mitchum.
14 hours after seeing "Thunder Road" for the first time, I can say that alongside "Out Of The Past" and "Blood On The Moon" it is is my favorite Mitchum movie..
Thunder Road has it's great moments of character development, touching scenes, exciting car chases and glimpses of country charm and rural life.
Filmed on location in Asheville, North Carolina, Thunder Road has just what you'd expect from a movie in that part of the country: lots of driving scenes surrounded by a beautiful forest.
So, while you take in the scenery, you can also take in the scenery.Co-written, co-directed, and starring Robert Mitchum, this movie follows a man who illegally transports liquor and how his business affects his family.
In one scene, he wishes him luck before a transport; Bob responds, "Thanks, kid." So cute!Parts of Thunder Road are a little obvious, but if you want to see a very hands-on Mitchum movie-he even co-wrote the songs Keely Smith sings-you can rent it.
If you have to ding this very likable film, the story is a pretty corny one of Mitchum trying to keep his kid brother (played by his dead ringer real-life son instead of Elvis) while fending off Federal agents, rival moonshiners, and romancing nightclub singer Keely Smith.Still, Bob Mitchum running 'shine is pretty hard to resist, especially when you have some amazing stunt work from legendary stuntman Carey Loftin, the guy behind the car chases in "Bullitt," "Vanishing Point," and "The French Connection." This is easily THE definitive moonshine picture and a must see for fans of this type of picture..
Thunder road movie with robert mitchum was low budget but good.
The Story is a Good One and at the Time very New. The Film has a Quirky Charm from the Beginning and it looks like Nothing Out of Hollywood, resembling a Highly Independent Production made by just a Few Determined Folks.
The Energy also Wavers on and off with the Mitchum Love Interest mostly to Blame, it features the "Lounge" Singer Keely Smith, who could Sing a lot Better than She could Act. James Mitchum (Bob's Son), is given a Shot and Plays the "Virginal" Brother and is Passable.
I've always wondered what ever happened to the 50/51 Ford Robert Mitchum drove in the beginning of the movie ???
I first saw thunder road when I was about 9 or 10 years old, even then I knew this film would become a classic.
Mitchum plays Lucas Doolin; a hard-nosed war-veteran and moonshine runner who sees his fearless ferrying between the illegal still communities of the mountains and their buyers in Memphis as an individual right earned through the ways of his pioneering ancestors.
Doolin is equally determined to see that his devoted younger brother Robin (a role originally intended for Elvis Presley but eventually played by his own son, James) does not follow him into the whisky running business whilst he is emotionally torn between his life in the mountains, personified by the love of his parents and an adoring girl-next-door (Sandra Knight), and his desire to live in the wider World with his jazz chanteuse lover (Keely Smith).
I am 50 years old and I love the old black and white movies of the 1950s, but I hated Thunder Road.
**SPOILERS** Robert Mitchum's most personal movie where he not only stared in but has his 17 year-old son James playing his kid brother as well as having wrote the screenplay and even the films theme song "The Balled of Thunder Road"-as well as the song "Whippoorwill"-that he himself later recored.Lucas Doolin, Robert Mitchum, is back from the Korean War and back on his beat as a moonshine transporter in and around the Appalachians and beyond.
Things were looking kind of down hill to him by the time we bailed out of Nam. I'm just glad he passed away before 9/11 happened.Thunder Road is a tremendous movie.
But Thunder Road I have watched hundreds of time since i first saw it in the theaters when I was around 12 years old.