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John Garfield is a sadistic, heartless thug in "Out of the Fog," starring Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, John Qualen, and Eddie Albert. Garfield's life centers around intimidating scared, weak people into coughing up "protection" money so that he won't set their boats or businesses on fire or beat them to a pulp. Ida Lupino plays Stella, a young woman who's bored with her boyfriend (Eddie Albert) and sick of her life, and when she meets Garfield, she sees a chance for excitement. Little does she know that he's shaking down her father (Mitchell) and his partner in a fishing boat (Qualen).

This drama was interesting, had a rich atmosphere and a good cast. That, however, doesn't mean I enjoyed it. Garfield was so mean he was disgusting, John Qualen was so lily-livered I wanted to slap him, and all I could do was pity poor Thomas Mitchell. How Lupino could have had anything to do with Garfield after she found out he was demanding money from her father is beyond me.

The point of the film, brought home by Eddie Albert and Mitchell, is that Stella is just an ordinary girl and she shouldn't want or reach for anything special. Well, maybe she shouldn't have wanted or reached for any special via John Garfield, but how's that for a nice sexist 1940s message. However, the ending (not liked by at least one of the posters commenting here) does indicate that Stella will be able to achieve a balance in her life, so in that way, it was very satisfying.

The best characters were played by Mitchell and Qualen who, not surprisingly, give the best performances. They had a lot more to work with, Mitchell especially, and he gave it everything he had. Garfield's role was one-dimensional, and we learn nothing about how he came to be such a rat, so all you can do is hate him. Lupino's role is strictly ingénue - she found a better niche later on.

Interesting movie that, whether you like it or not, will hold your interest.

This story features John Garfield at his nastiest. He is a dirty little thug who spends his time beating up poor fishermen in order to extort money from them. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does as later in the movie Garfield not only wants one sailor's money but his lovely daughter as well! But, because Garfield is tough and ruthless, no one seems willing to go to the police or stand up to him in any other way. However, how this dilemma was solved was very atypical of Warner Brothers movies of this era and helps to raise this picture above most others. I won't divulge the exact ending, but it really tied the movie together well and felt very real as well as satisfying.

(1941) Out of the Fog CRIME DRAMA

At the opening, we see the John Garfield character going toward someone's boat tied onto a post before he sets fire to it, in the middle of the night. And he dodges from being spotted from the lone police officer. He then ducks inside a diner nearby, where we are then introduced to a bunch of other characters, including Telephone operator, Stella Goodwin (Ida Lupino) sitting with her boyfriend, George Watkins (Eddie Albert). The cook, Olaf Johnson (John Qualen) and server/ cashier/ front counter Eddie (Leo Gorcey), the co-owner of the diner Caroline Pomponette (Odette Myrtil), and the lone police officer, Magruder (Robert Homans). And when a fire is chanted in the diner, almost everyone rushes out except the John Garfield character we find out his name is Harold Goff. And it was at this point, as soon as Goff hears fishing buddies, cook, Olaf Johnson (John Qualen) and Jonah Goodwin (Thomas Mitchell) who works behind the diner about their little boat, Goffs eyes begin to light up. And as soon as Goff discovers what kind of boat they were using, he threatens to destroy it unless they agree to his terms of paying him $5.00 a week. It was during then we finally understand why and what is Goff's racket.

Despite a running time of 1:29 the film still felt long dragging viewers to something that can easily be avoided. Also, I thought Ida's character was beginning to be annoying. Meaning that both characters played by Ida Lupino and John Garfield are unlikable.

Always liked John Garfield films and his style of acting, in this film John plays the role as Harold Goff who is a racketeer who lives around the water front and burns people's boats who do not pay for his protection money. Jonah Goodwin, (Thomas Mitchell) is an elderly man who owns a business and loves to fish along with his friend, Olaf Johnson, (John Qualen) who is a chef in a local store. These two men are confronted by Harold Goff who demands five dollars a week protection money for their boat, they eventually give in and start paying him. However, Harold starts dating Jonah Goodwin's daughter, Stella Goodwin and she starts falling in love with him. Harold finds out that Jonah has saved one-hundred and ninety dollars and so he decides to grab that money from him and that is when the trouble starts to happen. This is a great picture and one you will not want to miss. Enjoy.

In Brooklyn, fishing is the hobby of the workers Jonah Goodwin (Thomas Mitchell) and Olaf Johnson (John Qualen) and they use to fish every night in their old boat. Jonah's daughter is the twenty-one year-old telephone operator Stella Goodwin (Ida Lupino), who is an ambitious young woman that dreams on leaving her neighborhood. She is the sweetheart of the worker George Watkins (Eddie Albert), a simple man that dreams on marrying her.

When the smalltime gangster Harold Goff (John Garfield) arrives in Brooklyn, he extorts money from Jonah and Olaf to "protect" their boat from fire and dates Stella. Jonah tries to convince his daughter that Goff is a racketeer that takes money out of poor ordinary people but she does not care to her father since she sees Goff as her chance to have a comfortable life and visit new places. When she discloses to Goff that her father has savings, Goff demands the money to Jonah. Now the old man is convinced that the only chance to get rid off Goff is to fight back.

"Out of the Fog" is a good drama with John Garfield performing a cold racketeer and Ida Lupino kind of lost in a contradictory role of a silly young woman that seems to love her father but even after knowing that her boyfriend is extorting him, she continues to date the racketeer. Despite the bleak and amoral conclusion, "Out of the Fog" is a great classic. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Quando a Noite Cai" ("When the Night Falls")