Highway Dragnet

“I didn’t kill her.  I didn’t even know her.  All I did was buy her a drink.  One drink.  And for 65 cents I bought a martini mixed with dynamite.”

Jim Henry (Richard Conte) is a Marine just back from Korea.  In a Las Vegas bar, he flirts with a woman named Terry (Mary Beth Hughes).  He accidentally insults her and she gets offended, they have a mild fights… which turns them both on.  The next morning, Jim gets picked up by the cops.  Terry has been strangled to death, and all signs point to him being the murderer.  He manages to escape, and hitch-hikes his way into the lives of Mrs. Cummings (Joan Bennett), a magazine photographer, and her model Susan (Wanda Hendrix).  Jim is in a race to clear his name, and the answers are right under his nose.

A real quickie of a thriller, it’s half over before you know it.  Director Nathan Juran doesn’t waste any time, none of the movie feels like fat and it always gets right to the point.  Conte, Bennett and Hendrix (who I loved in Ride the Pink Horse) all hold their own, none of them putting on an exceptional performance, but leaving nothing much to complain about.  A twist for one of the characters is too blatantly telegraphed, but I’d blame the script more than the acting.

I have to say the movie doesn’t bring anything new to the table — except the interesting setting for the finale — but it’s crafted so efficiently that it has an effortless feel to it, very easy to get into and stick with.  What it lacks in grandiose flourishes or memorable moments or clever dialogue, it makes up for just by sticking with a winning formula without making any major missteps.

The film is co-produced and co-written by Roger Corman, and is notable for being his first credit.  Rating: Good (75)

IMDb