Plunder Road [1957] [DVD]

Veteran players Gene Raymond and Wayne Morris clearly relished the opportunity to star in this cleverly written story of a train hold-up and the robbers' doomed attempts to shift their massive haul of gold ingots. Elisha Cook Jr already knew his loser's part by heart but plays it, as usual, to perfection.

Writer Steven Ritch also appears as Frankie, the former racing driver who teams up with Raymond to drive a tanker loaded with part of the booty. Aided by veteran cameraman Ernest Haller, new director Hubert Cornfield makes a visually exciting picture that squeezes every ounce of suspense from the story.

An excellent example of what can be done with a low budget and stripped down script.