Jonah (Thomas Mitchell) and Olaf (John Qualen) are two poor, hard-working men who share a love of fishing and have both bought a half-share in a boat that allows them to follow their passion each night. However, they are bullied by Goff (John Garfield) into paying him protection money against the burning of their boat. Things get worse as Goff starts to date Jonah's daughter, Stella (Ida Lupino) and then demands all of Jonah's savings. The fisherman decide to fight back....
This is a fun film to watch but it's a shame that it is played so much for comedy. It would have been far more effective if the fisherman played it straight. As it stands, the cast let down the proceedings apart from John Garfield and Thomas Mitchell. Garfield is excellent as the man we hate and Mitchell gives a realistic performance of a man who doesn't want trouble. He gives his character some depth as he holds information back from his daughter and tries to stand up against Garfield's character. At the other extreme are John Qualen and Ida Lupino. Qualen is sooooooo frustrating and such an annoying character that you will want to slap his head and Lupino is wasted as I know that she can do so much better. Her character also wasn't really involved and I think this was a waste of time for her standards of performance. It is maybe the fault of the script as ultimately, she, too, just frustrates.
There are humorous moments, eg, when Jonah and Olaf are on the boat with Goff and Jonah keeps yelling out the signal for Olaf to make his move. The scene would fit perfectly into any comedy film and it is genuinely funny. Unfortunately, what Olaf does next highlights exactly why this film is a disappointment. Overall, the film is OK despite some wasted talent on show.
This is a fun film to watch but it's a shame that it is played so much for comedy. It would have been far more effective if the fisherman played it straight. As it stands, the cast let down the proceedings apart from John Garfield and Thomas Mitchell. Garfield is excellent as the man we hate and Mitchell gives a realistic performance of a man who doesn't want trouble. He gives his character some depth as he holds information back from his daughter and tries to stand up against Garfield's character. At the other extreme are John Qualen and Ida Lupino. Qualen is sooooooo frustrating and such an annoying character that you will want to slap his head and Lupino is wasted as I know that she can do so much better. Her character also wasn't really involved and I think this was a waste of time for her standards of performance. It is maybe the fault of the script as ultimately, she, too, just frustrates.
There are humorous moments, eg, when Jonah and Olaf are on the boat with Goff and Jonah keeps yelling out the signal for Olaf to make his move. The scene would fit perfectly into any comedy film and it is genuinely funny. Unfortunately, what Olaf does next highlights exactly why this film is a disappointment. Overall, the film is OK despite some wasted talent on show.