Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Laurence Tuccori A film noir shot in colour, in cinemascope, with scenes set mostly outdoors during daylight hours, and making ample use of San Francisco's picturesque landscape, starts out with several counts against it.But contravention of most if not all of the conventions of the noir genre is the least of this movie's problems.The biggest drag on the story is its star. Alan Ladd strolls through the plot like a Californian Redwood on legs. If it weren't a clash of materials, it would not be unfair to characterise his woodenness as robotic. There's not an ounce of enthusiasm or conviction in his performance as Steve Rollins, an ex-cop wrongly convicted of manslaughter, who leaves jail vowing vengeance on the gangsters who framed him.Ridiculously attired in a linen suit that never creases or stains despite several bare knuckle dust ups, he fearlessly provokes corrupt waterfront boss Victor Amato (Edward G Robinson) into a showdown that can only result in death or victory.Along the way, just to demonstrate what a straight-up, honorable guy he is, Rollins rebuffs his wife (Joanne Dru) for a moment of weakness while he was in jail (but only after he'd refused to let her visit him for three years) and comes to the aid of a nightclub singer (Fay Wray) whose life Amato is threatening. All of which Ladd achieves without once moving a facial muscle.So thank god for Edward G.Robinson! He singlehandedly saves HELL ON FRISCO BAY with a performance that is considerably better than the film deserves. Robinson's career was in a slump in 1955, mostly as a result of the anti-communist blacklist, and he was no longer getting A-list parts, but he never stopped giving his best to whatever work came his way. He's as great here as he was in 'Little Caesar' and 'Key Largo.' His Victor Amato is a fully-rounded, believable and disturbing character, a psychopath who can charm the parish priest one moment and order the murder of his own nephew the next. When Robinson's on screen it's almost possible to forget he's inhabiting the same story as dreary lifeless Alan Ladd.Credit is also due to Paul Stewart who makes the most of his underwritten part as Amato's put-upon right hand man, and watch out for an uncredited but instantly recognisable Jayne Mansfield in her last bit part before exploding into America's consciousness with 'The Girl Can't Help It' a few months later.HELL ON FRISCO BAY is a decidedly mediocre tale but a fine example of an actor proving himself better than the material he's given to work with. Watch this and you may well be put off Alan Ladd for life but you'll definitely want another serving of the wonderful Edward G Robinson.Read more of my reviews at http://thefilmivejustseen.blogspot.com/

classicsoncall There's a great politically incorrect sign hanging in the Amato Club House that says - "Be American, Speak English". That's one of the visual treats in "Hell On Frisco Bay", a gritty gangster drama featuring one of the best, Edward G. Robinson as tough guy Victor Amato. There's also a lot of great dialog compliments of Robinson's character, especially the prayer conversation with henchman Joe Lye - "Guess those prayers went into a separate account for lover boy".Alan Ladd portrays Vic Amato's nemesis in this one, playing it fairly deadpan, almost tired, throughout the story. He's an ex-cop just released from San Quentin following a stretch for a murder frame up, and he's out for vengeance. A pal from the old days, Dan Bianco (William Demarest), is about the only one he can confide in as he goes after the bad guys. Come to think of it, Demarest plays it entirely straight in the picture too, he's usually good for a few comic relief moments in most films, but not here. He knows enough to back off too, when Steve Rollins (Ladd) makes it known he's got a score to settle.The tension between Rollins and Amato is allowed to fester and build as the former detective conducts his personal investigation, reaching the boiling point when Vic summons his adversary to a meeting. Ladd delivers one of the movie's best lines when he turns down Vic's job offer of two hundred dollars a week - "I'd like to kill you so bad I can taste it." Not too much room for miscommunication there.Joanne Dru portrays Rollins' not quite ex-wife, having had a quick affair while he was in the cage. A nice surprise in the film for me was the appearance of Fay Wray as a retired actress; you know, she really aged wonderfully in the two decades following "King Kong". It's too bad she was relegated to a career of 'B' films even after her Kong triumph. Also on hand in an early screen appearance is Rod Taylor, described as a 'tough monkey from up North', who takes his orders from mobster Vic.For his part, Robinson turns in one of those quintessential gangster performances that he's known and caricatured for, particularly vile here for ordering a hit on his own nephew. With Robinson, you get so much more than you bargained for with all those little nuances he throws into a role, like the way he sizes up the door man at the apartments, or how he sets up Joe Lye's hit right in front of a statue of St. Anthony. And when he goes down, he goes down hard, sneering all the way as the cops fish him out of Frisco Bay following that wild speed boat chase. As for the film, it's an OK little story that could have packed more of a punch without the color format. I would have preferred the movie's noir-ish ambiance in glorious black and white.

MartinHafer While most of the territory covered in this film has been covered before in countless movies, still this story of organized crime is very watchable and packed with great dialog and lots of action. In fact, this is very much a Film Noir piece, despite its having been filmed in color. Ladd is great as the angry guy seeking out justice (yes, I know it isn't very much of a stretch) and Edward G. Robinson turns in exactly the type of performance that made him famous (once again, not much of a stretch I know). And, overall, the film is very gritty, entertaining as well as great fun to watch. It does lose a couple points for the lack of originality, but considering how well it is put together, it certainly makes up for much of this.

Ale fish Edward G Robinson dismissed this one with a passing comment in his autobiography and it's not hard to see why. He exudes menace in the classic 'Little Caesar' manner and his interplay with the underrated Paul Stewart does have a touch of real quality. However, Cinemascope is not a process designed for urban thrillers and the wide open spaces rob the film of any sense of tension or claustrophobia. The greatest weakness, however, lies in Ladd's robotic performance. His boredom is evident throughout and the lacklustre supporting cast do little to help. In the end Robinson is left out on his own, gat in hand, the true professional giving it all he's got.