hyped garbage

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Who does not love a good suspense/mystery? I for one really enjoy a good film noir especially when the opening sequence captures an audience's attention within the first five minutes without even uttering a single word. This is a film that you cannot leave the room for even a minute because if you do, you will certainly miss a key piece of this films centerpiece, which is a map containing the location of dozens of untapped oil fields worth millions of dollars.There are plenty of evil doers trying to pull a fast one on each other in the hopes of netting themselves the one map that holds the locations of dozens of oil fields. But as tough guy detective Dan Hammer (Pat O-Brien) soon finds out while trying to protect a client of his named Hasso (Marc Krah) who happens to be a murderer himself from his other enemies one of which named Walter Gredson (Jerome Cowan) also pays Hammer to locate the map before anyone else can get their hands on it.This is a cat and mouse game that also includes a gorgeous cabaret singer named Maxine (Anne Jeffreys) who is working incognito for her so called fiance Walter Gredson, but soon falls head over heels for the smooth talking, hard swinging detective Dan Hammer. Besides the cat and mouse game I was impressed by Hammer's guard dog who always laid directly in front of Hammer's office doorway but yet the bad guys were neither intimidated by Hammer's dog, nor was Hammer ever forewarned by either a growl, bark or nary a whimper that there is trouble approaching Hammer's doorway. Some guard dog eh? He was adorable and this picture with its mystery and cinematography that reminded me of the next years more successful film (1948) Key Largo is well worth watching.I give Riff Raff seven (7) woofs-woofs, its "howling" good action and mystery to keep you entertained

With an ex-lensman at the helm and a D.P. of George E Diskant's calibre on board, it's no surprise that the cinematography is one of the strongest features of this highly entertaining detective story that revolves around a search for a map. Shadows and high-angle camera shots are used to good effect to contribute to the atmosphere and there are a number of striking close-ups that enhance the tension at certain points as well as one that's used purely for comic purposes. The way in which a couple of the characters (a passenger at an airport and a man at a nightclub) are introduced on-screen makes a real impact and there's a relatively long dialogue-free sequence at the very beginning of the movie that's intriguing, suspenseful and visually stunning.The action begins at a small airport in Peru where a couple of passengers get onto a cargo plane headed for Panama City. They travel through a thunderstorm without conversing until one of the men, Charles Hasso (Marc Krah), reports to a pilot that the other man has apparently committed suicide by jumping out of the plane. After landing at his destination, Hasso is briefly interviewed by local Secret Police Lieutenant Rues (George Givot) and afterwards, goes directly to private detective Dan Hammer (Pat O'Brien) who he hires as a bodyguard. Hammer takes the anxious-looking Hasso to a nearby hotel and then goes on to his next appointment with oil company executive Walter Gredson (Jerome Cowan).Gredson explains that his investment in some wildcat oil wells in Peru is in danger because a map showing their locations was stolen and he suspects Charles Hasso of being responsible. After some haggling over his fee, Hammer is duly hired to find both Hasso and the map. At a local nightclub, the detective meets the establishment's attractive singer Maxine Manning (Anne Jeffreys) and a seemingly affable tourist called Eric Molinar (Walter Slezak) and later goes on to Charles Hasso's hotel where he finds his client dead in a bathtub after apparently being strangled.Hammer gradually discovers that his meetings with Maxine Manning and Eric Molinar were certainly not coincidental and that they both have links with Walter Gredson but as his quest for the missing map continues, the relationships between all of these characters go through some interesting changes as does his relationship with Maxine.In "Riff-Raff", the impact of a few murders, a lot of deception and plenty of violence, is counterbalanced to some extent by moments of romance, humour and witty banter that lighten the mood without ever detracting from the impetus of the main plot.Pat O'Brien is amusing as the rather rotund and extremely resourceful Hammer who has numerous sidelines as well as his job and his interactions with his very inactive dog and his good friend and taxi-driver, Pop (Percy Kilbride), provide platforms for much of the movie's humour. The supporting cast is also consistently good in bringing the remainder of the story's colourful characters to life so successfully. For a movie that's not generally regarded as being a top class film noir, "Riff-Raff" certainly has plenty going for it.

Surprisingly entertaining dirty white suit movie with the lumbering Pat O'Brien keeping up for the most part with its fast pacing. O'Brien plays Dan Hammer, a sort of Mr. Fixit for anyone who needs something done within his code of ethics which ends short of murder, but a crisp bill buys his help on most other things. Mysterious strangers drop into his life, all competing for a mysterious map and all willing to pay. Anne Jeffreys is the blonde who may be after the map herself or maybe just wants to sing songs like "Money is the Root of all Evil" in a standard RKO tropical nightclub. Percy Kilbride is Hammer's driver and aide in a comedy cab. Walter Slezak is an excellent villain and rather fine artist who doodles while his henchmen pound the daylights out of O'Brien. Its all a lot of fun with some snappy dialogue and a noirish treatment from the director with many nice touches. Is Jerome Cowan in it too? You bet.

In Panama, a private detective is hired to find a missing oil well map.I expect this little gem got lost in the 1947 crowd. Too bad, because the opening scene is a wordless tour-de-force. Catch that ominous looking lizard in the first shot, indicating the sinister events to follow. Then there's the rainstorm that sounds like the sky is exploding around the airfield. And finally, scope out the open cargo hatch at 20,000 feet, where you see three people but no parachutes. It's a tough act to follow, and truth be told, the story then settles into an entertaining, if unremarkable, private-eye adventure.Nonetheless, there are so many nice touches lifting the narrative—the lazy guard dog, the down-and-outers needing help, Pop's belching old cab. But most of all, there's the stylish visuals, courtesy director Tetzlaff and cameraman Diskant. The compositions are especially impressive since they're artistic without being showy. And, of course, there's the great RKO team of D'Agostino and Silvera collaborating on the noirish sets.I also like O'Brien in the lead. He sure doesn't look like the standard Hollywood dick. He's about 20-years too old, 20-pounds too heavy, and more than a little balding. Still and all, he can fire off the tough-guy banter with the best and make you believe it. Of course, having the lovely Maxine (Jeffries) fall headlong for him remains something of a stretch, but that's just Hollywood being Hollywood.Talk about hiding in plain sight-- the map trick has stayed with me over the years. Speaking of the unusual, catch that brawl at movie's end. One thing for sure, I want Jeffries in my corner from now on. She doesn't just stand around while the hero gets bashed, even when a tricky bookcase bounces back at her.Anyhow, it's a really good little RKO programmer and a good reason to keep prospecting these unheralded oldies for their hidden gold.