Review of Fog Over Frisco

"Fog Over Frisco" is a pretty good yarn but the plot could have been stronger. The narrative feels a bit murky and the ending was rushed. Various aspects of the story don't quite gell and it left me feeling frustrated. Bette Davis being killed off early and being billed first in the cast, is a risky thing to do. After all, a film largely rests on the shoulders of the leading actor. Davis is the one to watch when she is in the film and a lot more effective than Lindsay or Woods. Alan Hale is good as the police officer. The final solution comes as no surprise whatever and I was disappointed with it. Bette Davis is the black sheep in her wealthy family as she is mixed up with a local gang in stolen bonds. She is a feisty, care-free character who doesn't immediately know that she is in over her head. It makes a welcome change to actually see a film made where it is based. San Francisco was used extensively throughout shooting and gives "Fog Over Frisco" some added scale. Then again, "Warner Bros" didn't need to have generous budgets in order to make great films. The pace rarely lets up and there is plenty going on. The cringeworthy Hugh Herbert is involved as a bungling news photographer but don't hold that against the film!