Comment

Dec 14, 2017MICHAEL TAGGART MALONEY rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Considered a noir gem polished by director Michael Curtiz, what I took away from THE BREAKING POINT is what a devastating assessment of postwar working-class manhood it is. John Garfield's Harry Morgan is a decorated military veteran who is trying to keep his business afloat (he captains a boat that caters to tourists) while raising two daughters with his devoted but demanding wife in a tidy seaside California town. Society is a hole. That seems to be the noir message. Middle-class decency is a sham. Harry Morgan is essentially doomed. Patricia Neal best known for her more domestic roles is amazing as the blonde party girl who shamelessly pursues a physical relationship with the married Morgan.