Thunder Road

Very much a personal project for Mitchum - he produced, took the lead (his son also appears, as his younger brother), wrote the story, even composed the theme song - with a subject very dear to his heart, since it depicts the activities of an Appalachian community of moonshiners up against the feds (and more organised rivals) as they race the highways with tanks full of illegally-brewed whisky. Cheaply made, disreputable, and blatantly anti-authority, it's a winner all the way, what with a stunningly laconic performance from Mitchum, white-hot night-time road scenes, and an affectionate but unsentimental vision of backwoods America rarely seen in cinema to this day.