I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

I just want to quote the tagline for the film here, someone's deliciously demented hokum: "NOT EVEN HER KISSES COULD HALT HIS FURY...when his evil brain cried "KILL!"So there you have it, Detour's sibling film in the hitchhike b-noir subgenre is every bit as feverish. Once more a plucky all-American guy picks up disastrous company from out of the Californian night. Once more hidden urges threaten to pull apart the soul.Like that film, on the surface we have blackmail, deceit and all the other ordinary tropes of the potboiler, but it's the deeper noir engine that makes all the difference; our guy was on his way to a dream late at night, a dreamy wife waiting for him in Los Angeles (she's a dainty being and her room seems to be shot through with lace and frills), an anniversary that morning, but the gods of the crossroads have other plans in store, sardonic plans, mischievous.So he has no sooner finished talking on a gas-station phone with the wife, reassuring, sweet-talking, he's going to be there in a couple of hours tops, than two broads are in the backseat of his car. With booze spilled all over him and that stupid grin on his face, he'd have trouble convincing anyone he's not on his way back from partying in Vegas with a bunch of girls, the stuff about co-workers and a birthday party only the lame excuse.The sense of anxious nightmare becomes more evident when they hole up for the night in a friend's empty lakehouse. His panic to do the right thing and be back home in time for the wife not to be upset, in retrospect testimony makes him out to be the only one suspect. Turns out that every move he made incriminates him, every desperate phonecall in the middle of the night, the smell of booze all over him.The final beat is all about the horrifying dissolution of identity and self, so characteristic of noir.Meanwhile, cops are solving the case from the side of poker tables. It's all about fates dealing the cards cops assume, but the young gas-station attendant demonstrates there's clear math to it.The math is that there is no fate, the dreamer is always what is being dreamed. There is no difference between who you are and the narratives you surround yourself with. You will need no better clue than a miraculous last-minute apparition by the wife in that lakehouse that extricates him from nightmare. Whatever it is he was up to in Vegas, the film as a whole is one hell of a guilt trip.

Steve Morgan (Lawrence Tierney) pulls off a heist and kills the cashier. Fleeing the police, he hitches a ride with love-sick Jimmy Ferguson (Ted North), who is on his way back home to his wife after a work party. They stop at a gas station where Morgan's bad attitude rubs off on night watchman Joe (Andrew Tombes). Steve invites two women to tag along and they set off again, only for Joe to report Steve to the police after he hears a warning on the radio. A road block is set up, blocking their path, so Steve suggests they go to the beach house of Steve's boss as Jimmy stinks of booze. While there, the group start to learn the truth about Steve's crime and just what he is capable of.The Devil Thumbs a Ride has picked up a cult following over the years from B-movie historians and fans of film noir. What makes it stand out amongst the endless list of B-movie noirs is the extremely gritty tone, and the sadistic, sociopathic character of Steve, coldly played to perfection by Tierney. This is noir at its nastiest. Steve will do anything to simply buy himself more time, including drowning a woman in plain sight. Sure, there are problems - the film is far too short at a mere 60 minutes and could do with some more character development, and Joe's tagging along with the police seems a bit silly - but this is a tightly wrapped quickie that leaves its mark regardless. If you can find it, I would urge you to see it, as although there are plenty of much better noirs out there, this is a fine example of how directors could get away with nasty themes and despicable characters if they placed them in a noir setting. Tough, impressive stuff.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

This little gem sure packs a punch---or a low blow. Lawrence Tierney is wonderful as the psycho who tricks a dope (Ted North) into giving him a ride from San Diego to Los Aangeles. Along the way they pick up two stranded women: a tough blond (Betty Lawford), and an innocent (Nan Leslie). Of course Tierney is on the lam from a robbery and murder but he fools them into dodging the cops (after he runs one down) by going to the dope's friend's beach house for the night. Several sub plots involve some interesting characters. No on is really what they seem to be. The dope is driving drunk across state but he's actually a devoted husband trying to get home. Tierney is a vicious killer. The blond is a willing accomplice, and the innocent wants to be an actress. The cops (especially Harry Shannon) are almost comical in their rapport, and the gas station kid (Glen Vernon) turns out to be a card shark. Great characters here with everyone having some nice screen time. Andrew Tombes is the night watchman who makes a spectacular drunk. Minerva Urecal is the widow with THE phone (Laguna Beach was the STICKS in 1947), and Marian Carr is the little wife who makes a surprise appearance. Josephine Whittell is the mother in law. Dick Elliott is the guy with the stupid dog.Tierney is the driving force and he's really good in his patented tough guy role. Lawford is surprisingly good. She hadn't made a film since 1937 and never made another after this one. She kept reminding me of Lizabeth Scott. Vernon almost steals the film as the gas station kid who goes along for a ride with the cops. North is the weakest actor but his dope part doesn't really call for much. Interesting little noir film with a totally unrepentant main character. He never even bats an eye!

Ironic, given that TCM's print of "Detour" looks and sounds so awful it borders on unwatchable, this little film plays with crystal clear sound and a perfect picture.While "Devil" does not really approach the genius of "Detour", it is a very engaging story and a fun hour of film. The hitch-hiker is disturbingly without conscience, and his ability to manipulate the actions of both the driver and the other passengers display a rather keen understanding of the sociopathic personality. Just how different life was in the 1940's is immediately made clear by those two dames that get picked up early in the film (this is so unlikely in 21st America that no self-respecting film-maker would ask you to believe it).The pace is taunt, which I like, and there are a few real surprises along the way. Our story is marred only (and BADLY) by a very stupid slapped on ending that may have gotten a chuckle out of contemporary audiences, but will surely illicit only groans from the modern viewer. Still worthwhile, enjoy the ride and don't pick up any strangers!