Decent, though uneven, drama.
Based on the Ernest Hemmingway novel, "To have and have not". Harry Morgan (played by John Garfield) runs a charter boat service out of Southern California. One day he is chartered by a man to take him and his female companion to Mexico and back. In Mexico he is deserted by the man without payment. In order to make enough money to get back, he takes on a rather dubious client...
The first adaptation of Hemingway's novel was made in 1944. It was titled "To have and have not" and was set in Martinique in the Caribbean during WW2. Directed by Howard Hawks, it starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (in her debut movie) and was an intriguing, gritty drama with some great twists.
The Breaking Point is the second adaptation. Directed by Michael Curtiz (of Casablanca, among others, fame), other than the initial setup, this movie ultimately has a different plot to the first (which, apparently, differed quite significantly from the novel). Less of a thriller and more of a human drama this time.
Not as gritty, or as riveting. The middle section drags a bit and the scenes showing Morgan's relationships with his wife and another woman seem overly melodramatic and largely unnecessary. The final few scenes, however, are fantastic and make up for the lull in the middle section. The final image of the movie is one of the sadder and more haunting ones in cinematic history.
Good work by John Garfield in the lead role.
I prefer the original, "To have and have not", but this movie isn't bad either.
Based on the Ernest Hemmingway novel, "To have and have not". Harry Morgan (played by John Garfield) runs a charter boat service out of Southern California. One day he is chartered by a man to take him and his female companion to Mexico and back. In Mexico he is deserted by the man without payment. In order to make enough money to get back, he takes on a rather dubious client...
The first adaptation of Hemingway's novel was made in 1944. It was titled "To have and have not" and was set in Martinique in the Caribbean during WW2. Directed by Howard Hawks, it starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (in her debut movie) and was an intriguing, gritty drama with some great twists.
The Breaking Point is the second adaptation. Directed by Michael Curtiz (of Casablanca, among others, fame), other than the initial setup, this movie ultimately has a different plot to the first (which, apparently, differed quite significantly from the novel). Less of a thriller and more of a human drama this time.
Not as gritty, or as riveting. The middle section drags a bit and the scenes showing Morgan's relationships with his wife and another woman seem overly melodramatic and largely unnecessary. The final few scenes, however, are fantastic and make up for the lull in the middle section. The final image of the movie is one of the sadder and more haunting ones in cinematic history.
Good work by John Garfield in the lead role.
I prefer the original, "To have and have not", but this movie isn't bad either.