rebtguy-39674 This movie is a live action film noir cartoon. It's fun reading the other reviews because most didn't get this movie at all. It's tongue in cheek, a send-up of the genre. At least some of those in on the movie must have caught on. Pat O'Brien plays the part of Dan Hammer, shady and cynical all-around fixer man in Panama City. He looks like a big, lovable umpire who's had many to many hot dogs for lunch, dressed in all white like an ice cream man. I assume he got the role because his doppelganger, William Bendix was unavailable. His smart talking lady friend is Anne Jeffreries, looking very svelte and totally not his type but that's part of the humor. There is a properly convoluted plot with murders and untrustworthy police along the way. It's a good opportunity to watch Walter Slezak who is always a welcome addition (he had an amazing acting career.) The movie has not the slightest taint of realism to this reviewer, so enjoy it with plenty of popcorn. The folks that take this movie at all seriously have the viewing comprehension of your average 10 year old, but I digress. Enjoy it, it's not a classic.

dougdoepke 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.

edwagreen Map searching and oil, how about following through more with the significance of all this? Yes, they're looking for a map, but where exactly should they want to go?This film is a first class stinker. Pat O'Brien was never really a leading man and this film proves it. You needed a suave, debonair guy for it and O'Brien still acts like is at a pool hall in a back alley.As usual, Walter Slezak is up to no good, and Jerome Cowan is hardly the evil type, though he winds up with a knife in him, courtesy of Slezak. As for Ann Jeffreys being a femme fatale, we can forget that entirely.

blanche-2 Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffries and Walter Slezak star in "Riffraff," a 1947 film from RKO. In the beginning of the film, there is a wonderful scene showing a plane as a storm rages. Though there are two passengers in the plane, when it lands in Peru, there is only one, a man named Hasso.Hasso seeks out a detective, Dan Hammer (Pat O'Brien), says he needs protection, and hires him. Another job come in right away when a representative of an oil company enters and hires Hammer to find a map -- it turns out that Hammer's client Hasso has it. Hasso is killed, and Hammer runs up against Walter Slezak, a dangerous man who wants the map and will do anything to get it. Just about everyone is looking for that map.The cinematography by George Diskant is very good, and the film is directed with precision and good pace by Ted Tetzlaff. The acting is good, though for me Pat O'Brien has never been a leading man. He's miscast here. Anne Jeffreys is a knockout -- I met her last year when she was 92, and guess what, she's still gorgeous.Great fight scene at the end of the film. Worth seeing.