Lost & Found… ‘Hell Drivers’ (1957)

‘Hell Drivers’ opens with a promise of hi-octane fun. During the opening credits, a convoy of large trucks barrels down the road to the sound of what you might hear at a NASCAR event. The title appears and then we’re introduced to Tom Yately (Stanley Baker) as he attempts to get a job as a driver. It’s kind of funny, because you don’t typically think of movies about truckers coming from the UK. The job calls for drivers to work long, hard hours driving fast and making as many loads as possible. Tom, an ex-convict, seems reluctant to take such a risky job at first, but his employer is convinced he’ll do the job because the money’s good.

Think ‘Gone in Sixty Seconds’ except with big trucks and British accents. No, they’re not stealing trucks, but it’s all about driving fast and getting the job done without concern for the consequences. These drivers seem able to pull off the impossible, steering dump trucks filled with gravel around hair pin turns at 50 mph and remaining firmly on four wheels. Yeah, this was the fifties… dump trucks weren’t as “safety” conscious as they are today. Tom goes on his first “probationary” delivery run with his employer in the passenger seat. It’s quite a ride and Tom does everything in his power to both impress his boss and stay alive as well.

This little-known cult classic offers thrills and spills, with delivery runs resembling something more like ‘Death Race’ at times. He’s not sure he wants to jump right into another game of chicken with death and tells his boss to drive this time. Tom has a good, but nervous belly laugh as he loads up for his second run when his employer informs him he can’t drive… the police took his license away. I have no idea why Tom would be nervous?

It seems the entire time that Tom is uneasy in this kind of life. A reckless boss, an randy older woman running the boarding house he stays at and surrounded by less-refined characters everywhere he turns. Tom meets foreman and fellow driver Gino (Herbert Lom). The two instantly make friends and Gino warns Tom about “Red” Redman (Patrick McGoohan) and his notorious nature for being the best and the most dangerous. The first time Tom meets his fellow drivers in the bar, two things happen; we get our first sight of Sean Connery as Johnny Kates (not a huge role) and it is made clear that Red is not fond of Tom and makes sure his rank amongst the pack of burly drivers is clearly understood.

A rivalry is sparked between Tom and Red, with each of them trying to out do the other. The real prize isn’t the money. It’s the 24k solid gold cigarette case that Red currently possesses that marks a driver as top dog. Tom is determined to dethrone Red, break his record and take the golden bonus for his own. Tom is driven to succeed to prove to his family that he’s gone straight. The tension increases as tempers flair, threats are made and Tom finds himself up against an alliance of the other drivers now set on keeping him from breaking Red’s record.

‘Hell Drivers’ is a tough one to find. If you’ve got a Region Free DVD player, you may find a Region 2 copy of this DVD, ranging from $30.00-45.00 online. It’s a British film, so there’s no telling if and/or when this will reach US DVD shelves.