The Breaking Point

"A guy who had nothing to sell but guts!"

1950 1h 37m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 94

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A fisherman with money problems hires out his boat to transport criminals.

“A guy who had nothing to sell but guts!”

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Cast

John Garfield
Harry Morgan
Patricia Neal
Leona Charles
Phyllis Thaxter
Lucy Morgan
Juano Hernández
Wesley Park
Wallace Ford
F.R. Duncan
Edmon Ryan
Rogers
Ralph Dumke
Hannagan
Guy Thomajan
Danny

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Curtiz
Writers: Ranald MacDougall
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Curtiz, shot by Ted D. McCord. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alan Crosland, Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Garfield and Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A guy who had nothing to sell but guts!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042281 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Curtiz directs. Ted D. McCord behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. Alan Crosland, Jr. cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

176 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Michael Curtiz, shot by Ted D. McCord. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Alan Crosland, Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5John Garfield and Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A guy who had nothing to sell but guts!".
7IMDB entry: tt0042281 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "california", "mexico", "based on novel or book", "fishing".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ted D. McCord
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: Alan Crosland, Jr.
Makeup / hair: Bill Phillips
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Breaking Point (1950)

Also by

Michael Curtiz

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-12-27
★ 7/10
A rather disillusioned "Harry Morgan" (John Garfield) is the skipper of a boat offering charters to tourists and fishing trips, but business is not very good. He is deep in debt and, together with his pal "Wes" (Juano Hernandez) is struggling to make ends meet. He isn't helped by pressure from his wife "Lucy" (Phyllis Thaxter) who just wants him to get a steady job - on her uncle's lettuce farm! The plot now takes a fairly predictable twist as they find themselves stranded in Mexico with only one way back. That solution is provided by crooked lawyer "Duncan" (Wallace Ford) who offers to bail them out if they smuggle some contraband. Pretty soon the choices he makes start to impact on his family, and his relationship with his wife is further tested by his friendship with the rather disdainful (of men, anyway) "Leona" (Patricia Neal). Michael Curtiz packs a great deal into this 90 minute adventure thriller, and Garfield and Neal work really well together to give their scenes a bit of electricity as the former finds himself getting steadily more out of his depth. The dialogue, based on the Hemmingway book, is quick-fire and the gritty plot has plenty of punch with the momentum controlled really quite effectively right until quite a dangerous denouement!

Production companies