At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The first must-see film of the year.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

In backwoods Tennessee, slick cigarette smoker Robert Mitchum (as Lucas "Luke" Doolin) wins a car chase with federal agents. Fresh out of the Korean War, Mr. Mitchum illegally transports whiskey made in his father's still. As the story progresses, it appears those were bootleggers working for Mitchum's rival, not federal agents. A powerful whiskey racketeer wants to drive Mitchum's family out of business. Hold on, it may be that Mitchum isn't a veteran, after all, because Alcohol, Tobacco and Treasury Department leader Gene Barry (as Troy Barrett) later asks Mitchum's son why his father did not serve in the army. Wait, that's not Mitchum's son turning up his collar in high school, it's his brother James Mitchum (as Robin "Rob" Doolin). Mitchum wants his son out of the family business, which has been bootlegging, way back to their ancestors in Ireland..."Thunder Road" is a great title, especially for a "drive-in" movie. There are a lot of scenes where you can pretend you're actually "in" the on-screen car. No doubt, many guys sat there, spinning their steering wheels. With any luck, one's date got anxious and slide over in the seat, during the chase scenes. Other than that, this Mitchum production is dire. The star looks out of place as a "hardnosed hillbilly" (although "Thunder Road" certainly needed his name in the cast). Mitchum and some of his co-stars may have benefited from some rehearsal time, before facing the camera. The story could have been re-tooled to have the star be a more age appropriate WW II vet, who secretly fathered young Jim Mitchum with girlfriend Francie (contemporary singer Keely Smith). This would give the limp and stilted relationship between the elder Mitchum and Ms. Smith some life...Federal agent Gene Barry doesn't do much to warrant his second billing, but he's dependable. Other multi-TV series favorites Mitchell Ryan (in his first screen role, as Jethro "Jed" Moultrie) and Peter Breck (as Stacey Gouge) are likewise agreeable, early in their careers. Several sources state Elvis Presley wanted to accept the role played by Mitchum's son, but was prevented from doing so when his manager asked for an exorbitant salary. After 1956, it's difficult to believe Mr. Presley would accept a secondary role in this picture, and sing tunes co-written by Robert Mitchum. Perhaps his salary request was a polite way of turning the project down. Interestingly, Mitchum re-recorded his movie theme song and had a big hit record. "The Ballad of Thunder Road" never made the US top ten, but sold steadily enough to be considered one.**** Thunder Road (1958-05-10) Arthur Ripley ~ Robert Mitchum, James Mitchum, Gene Barry, Mitchell Ryan

Decent if unremarkable drama of a moonshiner and the feds who are trying to shut him down. A real study in star power with Robert Mitchum commanding the screen with seemingly little effort. An interesting contrast can be made between him and his son James, making his screen debut here, their appearance is so similar that you would think their performances would have a hint of the same similarity. The senior Mitchum owns the screen with an easy charm and magnetism while the young Mitchum is stiff with a vacant stare. Keely Smith contributes a couple of terrific numbers sung in her unique style but she also comes across as uncomfortable and mechanical in any scene which doesn't require her to sing. A huge drive-in hit in its day, it's easy to see why since it has a very laid back, low budget feel.

THUNDER ROAD is about the efforts of moonshiner Robert Mitchum to run carloads of illegal liquor past federal authorities AND avoid being killed by a mob that is attempting to corner the industry. Time and again, Mitchum risks his life and nearly gets himself killed...though we really never understand his motivation or his actions late in the film. That's because he and the rest of the cast just seem like caricatures--not real people.I am sure that many Southerners (particularly those in Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina) see this film and cringe. While I know this could not have been the intention, those who watch THUNDER ROAD are likely to assume that 1950s Southerners are all a bunch of hillbilly moonshiners! Much of this because these are the ONLY sort of folks you see in the film other than the Federal agents (who seemed to have more Northern or neutral accents). As for me, I wasn't the least bit offended...I just thought it all was pretty funny--which is a problem, as the film was not meant to be a comedy. That's because the plot never seems particularly real and the film just came off as perhaps well-intentioned but silly.Interestingly, the film actually is about the roots of NASCAR. Little known to many today, the race car champs of the early days of stock car racing were originally runners for moonshiners. In order to avoid being caught, they learned tricks for enhancing their cars and became amazing drivers--and explains why most of the early champs had roots in this underground business. Showing this connection and evolution would make for an interesting film. Instead, the film just never seemed particularly good and was almost like an episode of "The Beverly Hillbillies" instead of a serious drama. The only item of minor interest was seeing Robert Mitchum's oldest son, James--especially since he looked like the spitting image of his old man. Otherwise, a dull film with little to offer in the way of real entertainment.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I saw it when I was about 10 years old. I've always wondered what ever happened to the 50/51 Ford Robert Mitchum drove in the beginning of the movie ??? What happened to the cars from BULLIT has been explained in other magazines, but I've never seen anything on the ones in Thunder Road... either the 57 Ford he drove or the 50/51 Ford he drove. What happened to them ?? I know we see the 57 crash at the end, but that may or may not be the one he drove. In some of the other scenes with 57 fords, like the one with the 2 guys who go off the cliff, the wrong model of 57 Ford goes off the cliff and catches fire........ Does anyone know the answer...? Wiley Jack Hammer