Overly predictable romantic triangle, "Barbary Coast" will have viewers asking themselves "haven't I seen this before?" Different actors, different time period, different locale, but same tired story; wealthy and powerful, but older and unattractive, man loves young beautiful woman, who becomes older man's mistress, but subsequently falls for a young good looking man. Could be Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Otto Kruger in 1930's Manhattan, but here Miriam Hopkins, Joel McCrea, and Edward G. Robinson in 1850's San Francisco.
Mary Rutledge steps ashore in foggy San Francisco eager to marry a successful gold prospector, whom she has never met. Discovering her fiancee has been killed, Mary heads for the Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling hall, where she falls in with corrupt casino owner Luis Chamalis. Dubbed "Swan" by Chamalis, Mary plays the fixed gaming tables for Luis and aides him in fleecing naive prospectors of their gold. While riding alone is a rainstorm, Mary seeks refuge in a cabin, where she meets handsome Joel McCrea, and, stop me if you already know where the story is heading.
Hopkins, Robinson, and McCrea are capable of carrying off the tired tale. Abetted by some especially fine character actors, especially Brian Donlevy as Luis's cold henchman, Walter Brennan as a comical swindler, and Frank Craven as an idealistic journalist, the cast make the film worth watching. Also noteworthy, Ray June's Oscar nominated cinematography wraps the San Francisco waterfront in foggy splendor, with some scenes resembling 19th-century etchings. Fortunately, Howard Hawk's direction keeps the story moving at a pace that leaves little time to ponder the implausibilities such as Mary's seeming disregard for her luggage, her whimsical horse ride alone in the rain, and McCrea's lugging gold ore around on his shoulders. McCrea and Hopkins are also hard to accept as a romantic pair; Hopkins is noticeably older than McCrea, and his innocent air is at odds with her hardened character. Robinson and Donlevy come off best as the corrupt boss and his steely hit man. However, despite the flaws, "Barbary Coast" is passable entertainment from Hollywood's Golden Age.
Mary Rutledge steps ashore in foggy San Francisco eager to marry a successful gold prospector, whom she has never met. Discovering her fiancee has been killed, Mary heads for the Bella Donna, a rowdy gambling hall, where she falls in with corrupt casino owner Luis Chamalis. Dubbed "Swan" by Chamalis, Mary plays the fixed gaming tables for Luis and aides him in fleecing naive prospectors of their gold. While riding alone is a rainstorm, Mary seeks refuge in a cabin, where she meets handsome Joel McCrea, and, stop me if you already know where the story is heading.
Hopkins, Robinson, and McCrea are capable of carrying off the tired tale. Abetted by some especially fine character actors, especially Brian Donlevy as Luis's cold henchman, Walter Brennan as a comical swindler, and Frank Craven as an idealistic journalist, the cast make the film worth watching. Also noteworthy, Ray June's Oscar nominated cinematography wraps the San Francisco waterfront in foggy splendor, with some scenes resembling 19th-century etchings. Fortunately, Howard Hawk's direction keeps the story moving at a pace that leaves little time to ponder the implausibilities such as Mary's seeming disregard for her luggage, her whimsical horse ride alone in the rain, and McCrea's lugging gold ore around on his shoulders. McCrea and Hopkins are also hard to accept as a romantic pair; Hopkins is noticeably older than McCrea, and his innocent air is at odds with her hardened character. Robinson and Donlevy come off best as the corrupt boss and his steely hit man. However, despite the flaws, "Barbary Coast" is passable entertainment from Hollywood's Golden Age.