Tuesday, May 8, 2018

HELL DRIVERS 1958 (TCM VIEWING)

Another interesting film I had never seen until I saw it on TCM.

Stanley Baker stars as Tom Yately, an ex con looking for a job. He lands a job driving for a trucking firm that delivers gravel. In this company it's speed that counts and not safety.

He is befriended by an Italian driver named Gino Rossi (Herbert Lom) and a beautiful secretary named Lucy (alluring Peggy Cummins). Yately runs afoul of C. Red Redman (Patrick McGoohan) who leads the truckers and makes the most deliveries of anyone. Tom wants to out do him and sets out to do just that.

Yately soon finds his job in danger as well as his life, and sets out to expose the company for safety infractions and corruptions, all of this with the help of Gino and Lucy.

This is a very grim and yet exciting film that never fails to entertain. It's a British made thriller and the cast is terrific and also includes David McCallum, Sean Connery in his second credited role, Gordon Jackson, Jill Ireland, William Hartnell who starred as Dr. Who on the BBC from 1963-1973, and Alfie Bass.

It's sad this is a somewhat neglected film as it is well handled by Cy Endfield who directs a great cast and brings all of the characters tensions simmering to the boiling point near the end of the film. This film was released the same year as another and more remembered film entitled "Curse Of The Demon" which also starred the wonderful Peggy Cummins.

If you get a chance and can find this movie, check it out. I think you'll enjoy it.

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