Tough sea captain Johnny Angel (George Raft) finds his father's ship adrift at sea and boards it. He finds no trace of anyone on board, including his father. So Johnny tows the ship into New Orleans and begins investigating, wooing dames and punching faces where needed.
Raft gets a lot of flack these days for being a stiff or limited actor. Okay he wasn't the most versatile or charismatic actor around but he still had a good screen presence and could deliver when needed. Here the only problems are his love scenes with Signe Hasso which are just uncomfortable to watch. But when he's angry-man-out-for-justice, then he's pretty compelling. I do agree with others' assessment, however, that with a stronger lead like Bogart this would probably be a more appreciated film. A punchier script wouldn't hurt, either. The cast backing Raft up is pretty good. Hoagy Carmichael steals his scenes as cab driver Celestial O'Brien (what a great name). He also sings "Memphis in June." Signe Hasso and Claire Trevor play the good and bad girl respectively. Take a wild guess which of those parts is more interesting. Marvin Miller as the mama's boy owner of the steamship line and Margaret Wycherly as his overprotective nursemaid are the kinds of characters that make a so-so noir into something more. Nice score from Leigh Harline and atmospheric photography by Harry J. Wild. It's not a strong film noir at all and it does drag in the middle but it is enjoyable, especially for Raft and Trevor fans.
Raft gets a lot of flack these days for being a stiff or limited actor. Okay he wasn't the most versatile or charismatic actor around but he still had a good screen presence and could deliver when needed. Here the only problems are his love scenes with Signe Hasso which are just uncomfortable to watch. But when he's angry-man-out-for-justice, then he's pretty compelling. I do agree with others' assessment, however, that with a stronger lead like Bogart this would probably be a more appreciated film. A punchier script wouldn't hurt, either. The cast backing Raft up is pretty good. Hoagy Carmichael steals his scenes as cab driver Celestial O'Brien (what a great name). He also sings "Memphis in June." Signe Hasso and Claire Trevor play the good and bad girl respectively. Take a wild guess which of those parts is more interesting. Marvin Miller as the mama's boy owner of the steamship line and Margaret Wycherly as his overprotective nursemaid are the kinds of characters that make a so-so noir into something more. Nice score from Leigh Harline and atmospheric photography by Harry J. Wild. It's not a strong film noir at all and it does drag in the middle but it is enjoyable, especially for Raft and Trevor fans.