What sounds in its title and promoted in its advertising is far from what you get. Expecting a film noir or political thriller, what I got was a rugged action film with lots of comedy and macho men trying to show how tough they are while coming off as buffoons. The building of a bridge is threatened by a flood while dizzy blonde waitress (Adele Mara) is the subject of the desires of two men (Bill Kennedy and Donald O'Flynn) after her. It starts with the type of comedy that you see in two feelers involving mishaps in the greasy spoon where Mara works, involving a regular customer getting his breakfast spilled on him. While amusing, it goes on far too long.
This is at its best when dealing with the dangers the workers face, a couple of them very suspenseful. The flood scene is superbly photographed. It's how these workers deal with the disaster and its aftermath that come off the best in storyline terms. Mara, who seems made for seductresses and vixens, seems miscast here. Two well known Asian character actors, Richard Loo and Victor Sen Young, have nice featured parts that fortunately are minus stereotypical portrayals common during this time. One funny reference has an ironic connection to recently invented political terms where Mara is told the definition of "false work".
This is at its best when dealing with the dangers the workers face, a couple of them very suspenseful. The flood scene is superbly photographed. It's how these workers deal with the disaster and its aftermath that come off the best in storyline terms. Mara, who seems made for seductresses and vixens, seems miscast here. Two well known Asian character actors, Richard Loo and Victor Sen Young, have nice featured parts that fortunately are minus stereotypical portrayals common during this time. One funny reference has an ironic connection to recently invented political terms where Mara is told the definition of "false work".