Out of the Fog Reviews

Seldom does a handsome leading man render the kind of sinister and totally unsavory performance as Garfield powerpacks into OUT OF THE FOG. He is a sly, menacing gangster who muscles in on poor fishermen, terrifying Mitchell and Qualen into turning over to him the money they have scrimped to save for years so they can buy a new boat. Many other citizens of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, have been terrorized by racketeer Garfield into paying extortion money. Rather than completely surrender to the crafty crook, Mitchell and Qualen plot his death, even though a cop later discovers their awkward plan and looks the other way when destiny lends a helping hand to the two fishermen. After inveigling Garfield into their boat, Mitchell and Qualen botch the job and Garfield is about to kill them but he stands up in the boat, loses his balance, and topples overboard to drown. Providentially, he drops his wallet in the boat and the fishermen discover that it contains their savings. Lupino, who plays Mitchell's daughter, is in love with hoodlum Garfield, though she knows he's rotten through and through. She turns in a fine performance. Mitchell and Qualen are excellent as the cowering juice victims but it's Garfield's vehicle all the way, one of his own favorites which he rightly felt was directed by Litvak with consummate skill. The fogbound docks and the turn-of-the-century saloon and other sets created by Weyl drip with eerie authenticity and Howe's photography captures the dark and pervasive mood of the story.