The Devil Thumbs a Ride, under the direction and pen of Felix E. Feist, features Lawrence Tierney alongside Ted North, Nan Leslie, Betty Lawford, Andrew Tombes, Harry Shannon, Glen Vernon, and Marian Carr. Paul Sawtell handled the music, with J. Roy Hunt serving as cinematographer. The story begins with Steve Morgan (Tierney) having just committed a robbery and killed the manager of a San Diego theater; he then hitches a ride to Los Angeles with Jimmy Ferguson (North), who is portrayed as naive. During a stop at a gas station, they agree to give two women a lift, and Morgan proceeds to manipulate those around him in an attempt to evade police searching for him. Running just over an hour, the film’s strength lies primarily in Tierney's performance. He manages to project both a captivating charisma and a chilling lack of feeling that keeps viewers on edge. The plot itself is rather underdeveloped, and even fans of noir will likely find the behavior of the other characters hard to accept. Whatever Morgan does, no matter how outlandish or malevolent, he constructs an explanation, and those around him readily believe it. A subplot involving a detective bringing a civilian along during the chase feels somewhat excessive. However, once the group arrives at a beach house belonging to Ferguson's acquaintance, the film picks up momentum, leading to a dramatic conclusion filled with violence. Despite the shortcomings in the script, the presence of well-defined noir characters and Tierney’s solid performance make it consistently enjoyable, although the weak writing places considerable demands on the viewer. It earns a rating of 6/10.

Source on TMDB