Highway Dragnet (1954)
1954 · Feature film · 70 min · dir. Nathan Juran
SHOCK AFTER SHOCK... in manhunt for Las Vegas thrill-killer!
- Crime
- Drama
- Thriller
Synopsis
Ex-Marine Jim Henry, on the lam from a murder charge, hitches a ride with a glamour-magazine photographer, who is journeying cross-country with her principal model. Tensions rise, however, when the women realize their traveling companion may be a killer.
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Nathan Juran
- Writer
- Jerome Odlum
- Cinematography
- John J. Martin
- Studio
- William F. Broidy Productions
- Released
- 1954-01-20
- Running time
- 70 minutes
Cast & crew
Nathan Juran Director
Richard Conte
Joan Bennett
Wanda Hendrix
Reed Hadley
Mary Beth Hughes
Iris Adrian
Harry Harvey- Tom Hubbard
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · highly recommended · filmnut · 2014-01-02
3 thumbs up! This is a miniature masterpiece, never missing a step, from story to dialogue, acting to photography. Mary Beth Hughes, one of my favorites, turns out a superb characterization. The other 4 leads all hold their own very well, Joan Bennett, Richard Conte, Wanda Hendrix and Reed Hadley. Superb settings and photography across Death Valley and to the Salton Sea. The landscape and the quietness of the open road and desert set just the right mood. The movie records the simple, scruffy, dusty real life of the southwestern desert country between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and places a…
★★★★★ · Excellent Noir!!! · ArtRob123123 · 2025-12-24
Highway Dragnet (1954) stands out as a superb B-noir thanks to its authentic on-location filming in the stark, sun-drenched Nevada-California deserts and around the eerie flooded Salton Sea, creating a palpable sense of isolation and heat that amplifies the tension. The intense drama unfolds through a taut wrongful-accusation chase, filled with paranoia, twists, and brutal confrontations. The road-journey structure propels relentless momentum, while complex characters—a fugitive veteran, a secretive photographer, and her model—drive emotional depth. A superb cast, led by intense Richard…
