In Washington D.C., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is concerned with the increasing number of reports about the use of illegal amphetamines among long-haul truck drivers. Such pills, known as 'bennys' or 'co-pilots' provide truck drivers with uncommon energy and stave-off sleep during the long trips. However, many truckers abuse the drug, becoming dependent on it to stay awake. Long-term use causes hallucinations for the user and this translates into frequent deadly truck crashes. The F.D.A. sends undercover investigator Tom Kayler to Los Angeles to find out the source of such illegal amphetamines in the L.A. area. Kayler pretends to be a long-haul novice driver and is employed by local freight company Bodmer Freight Lines. He finds room and board inside the house of young attractive widow Val Owens. Several other long-haul truck drivers also board at Ms. Owens' home. One of them is Kayler's co-worker, hipster Mink Reynolds. Kayler begins his undercover investigation to find the supplier of the illegal amphetamines. His clues will lead him to Dunc Clayton's service station and to cute waitress Amy Phillips at the Six Points truck stop cafe. However, his persistence in trying to find the main source of the illegal amphetamines' supply chain attracts the attention of the people involved. They decide to eliminate Kayler. Synopsis by IMDb
Death in Small Doses is an American thriller film first released in 1957, directed by Joseph M. Newman. The film stars Peter Graves, Mala Powers, Chuck Connors, Robert Williams and Roy Engel. Our overall rating for this film is: good.
Only seconds into this speed-popping B-movie, you know you're in for a wild, hilariously goofy ride, as a jittery truck driver (one hand on the wheel, the other pouring pills down his throat) starts hallucinating about oncoming headlights, and finally careens off a cliff. Whoops!
Death Comes in Small Doses feels like a pulp fiction, adult-themed, exposé paperback novel with its magnetically tawdry tale of a federal agent (Peter Graves) trying to crack a drug ring that preys on long-haul truckers and supplies them with speed.
It's no French Connection, but the film is a fascinating glimpse of a bygone era and if you dig low-budget AA features from the fifties this one is definitely worth a look. "...Ripped from the pages of today's headlines!.& |