The Big Nowhere is a series of columns I’ve been doing for the 4:3 site, in which I look at the best film noir you’ve never heard of. This week, it’s Hubert Cornfield’s obscure 1957 heist noir, PLUNDER ROAD. Clocking in at just 72 minutes, this cheaply made little heist story achieves an atmosphere of suspense and level of thrills not seen in many films twice its length.
I loved this film. Had all the sizzle of a two day old cup of black coffee. Depressing. Dark. And you knew the ending when the movie started which made it all the better. It was all a journey to hell. You mention other great film noir heist films. You forgot Rififi, the mid-50’s French noir classic which also contained a silent segment when the heist was actually going down.
Rififi is a great film, I agree, but I’ve restricted myself in the columns to only discussing US film noir 1945-1959, otherwise, they’d be twice as long. Love your description of the movie as ‘having all the sizzle of a two day old cup of black coffee’.