This is a tense and exciting entry of the Kraft suspense anthology. The plot is simple and familiar: a bunch of social outcasts, malcontents, guys who never got the breaks, pull off a night-time robbery and head with the loot in a gas truck to Los Angeles. There's nary a dull moment in this one, and the characters are well developed, especially for a television show.
The mastermind, a college English professor, is enigmatic, one senses he's a loner, a man who's never had his time in the sun and wants it now, before it's too late. His opposite number, the one real pro in the bunch, a demolitions expert with a criminal record, despises the professor even as he follows his lead. These two not only don't hit it off, they're stuck inside the truck the whole time, with the demo man fuming over being cooped up for so long. Also involved are an ex-marine with a bad temper, dishonorably discharged; a comedian who wants to own his own nightclub; and a humble older working man who wants the money primarily to send his gifted daughter to college.
Things are touch and go for these guys from the start. One of them dropped a card at the crime scene that left a clue for the police to find; fortunately for them, it's a lead that goes nowhere. The police aren't the brightest guys in the world but they know what they have to do, and they do it well. As to the criminals, they have a lot of luck on their side. The suspense in this episode is as high as the jack. By the last ten minutes or so I was rooting for the bad guys to make it, if only because they were so human, so flawed, like most of us, and even when not likable fairly easy to understand as types. The acting was above average all-round, with only Edd Byrnes seeming a bit too young and good looking for his bitter former Marine. Henry Jones is superb as the professor; supercilious, smug. too sure of himself for his own good.
The ending of this episode was, for me, a jaw-dropper. I didn't see it coming, and neither, in all likelihood, will you.A first rate crime story, I highly recommend it for those who like such things. For what it is, it's near flawless.