Let me tell the story, I can tell it all,
About the mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol
His daddy made the whiskey, the son he drove the load
And when his engine roared, they called the highway Thunder Road

Pleasingly anti-authority, having a good feel for local ways, featuring a powerful performance by Mitchum and with exciting highway chases along nightime back roads, the crime drama remained gripping. It has become a cult favorite, and covers that backwoods area as well as any film ever has and has become the ultimate road movie. — Dennis Schwartz