Violent Road (1958)

After an out of control rocket crashes and kills innocent civilians, the rocket plant relocates to a less populated area. But first, the rocket fuel (hydrazine, nitric acid, concentrated hydrogen peroxide) must be moved safely through a dangerous and rough mountain road in three days time. Six men risk their lives for the $30,000 they will share at the end of the line. Directed by Howard W. Koch (THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS), this is basically an uncredited ripoff of the classic French thriller WAGES OF FEAR (1953) directed by Henri Georges Clouzot. One would think that suspense would be built in to the very premise but the movie shows what the difference between a hack movie director (Koch) and a film artist (Clouzot) can make to a film. Clouzot's film is an intense nail biter while this movie generates zero suspense. The often inane script and poor casting does the film no favors. Brian Keith as the head of the drivers brings some presence to the film but his fellow drivers played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dick Foran, Perry Lopez, Sean Garrison and Arthur Batanides are a bunch of ciphers. As the wives and girlfriends: Joanna Barnes, Merry Anders and Ann Doran.