Hell Drivers (film)
| Hell Drivers | |
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| Directed by | Cy Endfield |
| Produced by | Benjamin Fisz Earl St. John |
| Written by | Cy Endfield John Kruse |
| Starring |
Stanley Baker Herbert Lom Peggy Cummins Patrick McGoohan |
| Music by | Hubert Clifford |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Edited by | John D. Guthridge |
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Production
company |
Aqua Film Productions
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| Distributed by | Rank Organisation |
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Release date
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Running time
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108 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Hell Drivers (1957) is a British film drama directed by Cy Endfield and starring Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins and Patrick McGoohan. The film was produced by the Rank Organisation and Aqua Film Productions.
"Joe Yately" (Stanley Baker), whom everyone calls "Tom", has just been released from prison and is determined to start a new life. Tom arrives at Hawletts, a contractor which transports loads of track ballast from a nearby quarry, and tells gatekeeper Harry that he is looking for work. Harry lets him in and sends him to Mr. Cartley, the manager.
Tom tells Lucy (Cartley's secretary) that he met "Leggy" Legubin, a former Hawletts driver who had an accident resulting in a plate in his skull and told Tom that Hawletts paid its drivers well. Legubin's accident made Tom think there was a job available. Lucy recommends him to Cartley, who hires him for a trial run. Cartley tells Tom that his drivers transport their 10-ton loads fast, over bad roads. Speeding tickets and repairs are covered by the drivers. Hawletts has a bonus system in which the drivers receive seven shillings a load and four shillings an hour, with an additional weekly bonus for the cleanest truck. They are expected to deliver a minimum of twelve loads a day; if a driver falls behind, he is fired. Each run is 20 miles (32 km) round-trip; according to Cartley, one driver makes eighteen runs a day.
Tom goes on a trial run with Ed, the mechanic, who is impressed with his driving skill but appears noncommittal. Cartley hires him. Tom is accepted by all the other drivers except Red (Patrick McGoohan), an Irish foreman and head driver who is a violent bully. Tom befriends Gino (Herbert Lom), an Italian driver who is in love with Lucy. Red offers a £250 gold cigarette case to any driver who can make more runs than he does in a day, and Tom is determined to try.
One evening, the drivers go to a dance at a nearby hall and start a fight. When the police are called Tom flees the scene, fearful that his criminal record will return him to prison. Red calls Tom a coward and the other drivers (except Gino) turn on him, bullying him incessantly.
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