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Thunder Road

Play trailer Poster for Thunder Road PG Released May 10, 1958 1h 32m Adventure Drama Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Unrepentant Tennessee moonshine runner Luke Doolin (Robert Mitchum) makes dangerous high-speed deliveries for his liquor-producing father, Vernon (Trevor Bardette), but won't let his younger brother Robin (James Mitchum) join the family business. Under pressure from both out-of-town gangster Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon), who wants a piece of the local action, and Treasury agent Barrett (Gene Barry), who wants to destroy the moonshine business, Luke fights for his fast-fading way of life.
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Thunder Road

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Nick Schager Slant Magazine Southern drive-in staple Thunder Road is basically The Robert Mitchum Show. May 1, 2006 Full Review Sean Burns Crooked Marquee A fun example of how cool and influential a film can be without being particularly good. Feb 23, 2024 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap Robert Mitchum starred in, produced and wrote the story for this cult hit about a stampeding moonshine driver, and even got a hit song out of it. Rated: 4/5 May 29, 2023 Full Review John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) Bruce Springsteen borrowed its title and Burt Reynolds appropriated its anti-'revenooer' appeal, but just shy of its 60th anniversary, 'Thunder Road' remains very much the property of its actor-as-auteur leading man, Robert Mitchum. Rated: 3/4 May 15, 2015 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion The world of moonshine transporters is keyed to Mitchum's fatalist-hobo wryness Sep 25, 2009 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The ultimate road movie. Rated: A Jun 20, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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nick s This was a rather grim movie with few moments of levity or charm, but it was quite well put together. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Audience Member Great film! A must for Robert Mitchum fans, & anyone who enjoys old cars and a good story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Shows Ashville,NC as it was in 1958.Historical on moonshining.To me,the movie was very interesting.Reminds me of Junior Johnson and how Nascar got started! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Robert Mitchell in his moonshine movie. Springsteen got his song title from this song. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Good movie. Great cars. I would have been on the side of the whiskey runners. Sad end... why did Mitchum write it that way? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Robert Mitchum plays up his "bad boy" charm as a "transporter" running illegal moonshine across the South in a souped up 1950 Ford. Mitchum also produced and co-wrote the title song (not the Bruce Springsteen song, which only stole its title from this film) and no doubt selected his son, James, to play his younger brother. You'll need to set aside the unusual move that sees Mitchum still playing a kid at 40 but that's probably not all that requires suspension of disbelief here. Yet the action sequences, with the Feds and some crooked mobsters chasing Mitchum, feel authentic and so too do some of the Southern locations (filmed in and around Asheville, North Carolina). I hear this is a "cult classic" and I don't think it warrants that status but it's not bad. If only the rest of the acting was on Mitchum (Senior)'s level. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Thunder Road

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Movie Info

Synopsis Unrepentant Tennessee moonshine runner Luke Doolin (Robert Mitchum) makes dangerous high-speed deliveries for his liquor-producing father, Vernon (Trevor Bardette), but won't let his younger brother Robin (James Mitchum) join the family business. Under pressure from both out-of-town gangster Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon), who wants a piece of the local action, and Treasury agent Barrett (Gene Barry), who wants to destroy the moonshine business, Luke fights for his fast-fading way of life.
Director
Arthur Ripley
Producer
Robert Mitchum
Screenwriter
Robert Mitchum, James Atlee Phillips, Walter Wise
Distributor
MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
D.R.M. Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 10, 1958, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$146.0K
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Mono
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