The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
Back to trending 
Plunder Road
Crime · Drama · 1957
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
Movie details
Plunder Road
“Crime of the century!”
1957 Crime · Drama 1h 12m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.0 / 10
Community rating
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Plunder Road?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Force of Evil
Crime · 1950
Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.
Knock on Any Door
Drama · 1949
An attorney defends a hoodlum of murder, using the oppressiveness of the slums to appeal to the court.
Glengarry Glen Ross
Crime · 1992
Times are tough at Premiere Properties. Shelley "the machine" Levene and Dave Moss are veteran salesmen, but only Ricky Roma is on a hot streak. The new Glengarry sales leads could turn everything around, but the front office is holding them back until these "losers" prove themselves. Then someone decides to take matters into his own hands, stealing the Glengarry leads and leaving everyone wondering who did it.
House of Bamboo
Crime · 1955
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Nightmare Alley
Drama · 1947
A roustabout joins a traveling carny and schemes to figure out the mind-reading act of Mademoiselle Zeena and her alcoholic husband.
The Web
Crime · 1947
A brash young lawyer takes a short-term, high-paying job as bodyguard for a slick business exec being threatened by a former partner, and quickly realizes he may be in over his head.
House of Strangers
Drama · 1949
Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.
They Made Me a Fugitive
Drama · 1947
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
The Rise
Thriller · 2012
After being released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, Harvey Miller has revenge on his mind. He recruits his three best friends to help him rob the local drug kingpin whose betrayal put him away in the first place.
The Locket
Drama · 1946
A dark personal secret drives a young woman to use every man she encounters.
Where it lives
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Hubert Cornfield
Written by
Steven Ritch · Jack Charney
Gene Raymond
Eddie Harris
Jeanne Cooper
Fran Werner
Wayne Morris
Commando Munson
Elisha Cook Jr.
Skeets Jonas
Stafford Repp
Roly Adams
Steven Ritch
Frankie Chardo
Harry Tyler
Gas station attendant
Court is in session
Put Plunder Road on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.