I had seen Hell On Frisco Bay many years ago, but I forgot most of it, I finally got to see it again, This movie is a classic with good guy Steve Rollins ( Alan Ladd) versus Mob boss Victor Amato ( Edward G. Robinson). One thing that is great is the print. You can tell it was remastered by Warner Bros and you see San Francisco in full color. I know that it took years to get the Ladd Jaguar Production films to get a wide distribution because the Ladd estate refused to allow them to be put on DVD. Here, Ladd plays a framed ex police officer who was released from prison who is out to clear his name, and Robinson is the mob boss behind it all. It is a great matchup although they are in only two scenes together; Robinson in one of his nastiest roles and Ladd making his life miserable at every turn. Care to guess who wins? As for Ladd, disagree ( as I usually do) with those who think Ladd is wooden ( same criticism I read about Gary Cooper) As always he plays a great tough guy who needs few words his fists do the talking, and of course Robinson is his equal. Which should be no shock because of short in size actors the only one who plays a better tough guy then Ladd or Robinson is of course, James Cagney. As a fan of Robinson and especially Ladd I really enjoyed Hell On Frisco Bay:,Easy 10/10 stars.
Review of Hell on Frisco Bay
