Rent The Breaking Point (1950)

3.8 of 5 from 46 ratings

1h 37min

Synopsis:: Show moreShow less
Michael Curtiz brings a master skipper's hand to the helm of this thriller, Hollywood's second crack at Ernest Hemingway's 'To Have and Have Not'. John Garfield stars as Harry Morgan, an honest charter-boat captain who, facing hard times, takes on dangerous cargo to save his boat, support his family, and preserve his dignity. Left in the lurch by a freeloading passenger, Harry starts to entertain the criminal propositions of a sleazy lawyer (Wallace Ford), as well as the playful come-ons of a cheeky blonde (Patricia Neal), making a series of compromises that stretch his morality and his marriage farther than he'll admit.
Hewing closer to Hemingway's novel than Howard Hawks's Bogart-Bacall vehicle, 'The Breaking Point' charts a course through daylight noir and working-class tragedy, guided by Curtiz's effortless visual fluency and a stoic, career-capping performance from Garfield.
Actors:: John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Juano Hernandez, Wallace Ford, Edmon Ryan, Ralph Dumke, Guy Thomajan, William Campbell, Sherry Jackson, Donna Jo Boyce, Victor Sen Yung, John Alvin, Chet Brandenburg, Peter Brocco, Mary Carroll, Spencer Chan, John Close, John Doucette, Juan Duval
Directors:: Michael Curtiz
Writers:: Ranald MacDougall, Ernest Hemingway
Studio:: Criterion Collection
Genres:: Classics, Drama, Thrillers