Plunder Road (1957)

Five men participate in a daring robbery of a train carrying gold headed for the San Francisco mint. After the heist, they split into three different directions in an attempt to throw the police off their trail. This is a dandy, compact "B" noir which packs a lot of tension in one hour and twelve minutes. Like most good noir, the film is permeated with a sense of fatalism so that even though you don't know what's going to happen, you know there aren't going to be any winners by the time "The End" flashes on the screen. It's slightly reminiscent of Kubrick's THE KILLING (though, of course, no where near as great) in feel and that film's Elisha Cook Jr. turns up here too as one of the robbers. It's got a second string cast but the performances are pretty solid including Gene Raymond, Wayne Morris and Jeanne Cooper. Definitely worth seeking out. Directed by Hubert Cornfield (NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY) and the sturdy B&W CinemaScope lensing is by Ernest Haller (GONE WITH THE WIND). With Naura Hayden, Stafford Repp and Steven Ritch, who wrote the tight screenplay.