A thrilling Hemingway adaptation from Hollywood titan Michael Curtiz, starring John Garfield and Patricia Neal Michael Curtiz brings a master skippers hand to the helm of this thriller, Hollywoods second crack at Ernest Hemingways To Have and Have Not. John Garfield stars as Harry Morgan, an honest charter-boat captain who, facing hard times, takes on dangerous cargo to save his boat, support his family, and preserve his dignity. Left in the lurch by a freeloading passenger, Harry starts to entertain the criminal propositions of a sleazy lawyer (Wallace Ford), as well as the playful come-ons of a cheeky blonde (Patricia Neal), making a series of compromises that stretch his moralityand his marriagefurther than hell admit. Hewing closer to Hemingways novel than Howard Hawkss Bogart-Bacall vehicle does, The Breaking Point charts a course through daylight noir and working-class tragedy, guided by Curtizs effortless visual fluency and a stoic, career-capping performance from Garfield.