shakspryn
Lots of good film noir motifs here! Plus we get a lot of mystery to follow on a foggy, deserted ship--or is it deserted? Eerie opening sequence sets the story up very well. George Raft is a strong presence and a good hero. He didn't have the acting range and depth of Humphrey Bogart--had Bogart been in this film, it would be one of the most famous film noirs, hands down.
As it is--it's still excellent. Fine black and white cinematography, and the dvd print is sharp. Rich in 1940's atmosphere. Recommended.
Richie-67-485852
George Raft has his own style of doing things unique unto him which makes for memorable movie watching. Throw in a decent story, some dames and someone trying to kill someone and you have Hollywood doing what it did best in the 30's, 40's and 50's. Imagine you were out for the night and wanted to catch movie, this would be one of thousands that the studios would churn out. Here we have Raft playing a straight shooter and a mystery of mysteries just pops up right in front of him and becomes personal as it unravels. Ships at sea, fog, large amounts of money, women, bad guys, good guys and various sound affects soon weave a tale of entertainment. I recommend a sandwich with a tasty drink plus some delicious personal candy favorite for this little gem. By the way, it was always the custom for the good guy to get the girl in many movies of that time because that is what was going on more often than not. No exception here and the only thing is, which girl? Also, you had to be good with your fists and guns were last resorts or no fair. Enjoy
st-shot
George Raft's performance is as starched as the sailor suit he strolls around in while Signe Hasso's anxiety seems to stem from her inability to understand or speak English rather than the mysterious woman with a past in the abysmal Johnny Angel. When Captain Angel's ( Raft ) father, also a sea captain, is murdered for a gold shipment on his boat he sets out to solve and settle score. During his investigation he gets involved with Paulette (Hasso) and Lily (Claire Trevor), married to a child hood friend, to get some answers and a little face time. As he gets closer threat and violence ratchet up while his uniform remains crisp.Raft's career had already self destructed by the time he took on the title role in this leaden clunker. Rejecting roles (High Sierra) that would make Bogart a star he had to settle for Ed Marin instead of Huston and Hawks but stylish and cool as he was in his Scarface days Raft was a flat and limited actor. He's no different in Angel but his performance has nothing on the clueless and stiff Ms.Hasso who looks like she could use a lot more rehearsing. Claire Trevor gives her usual solid greedy tart performance while Marvin Miller as her unctuous doughy husband and the always memorable Margaret Wycherly introduce an Oedipal angle to the mix. But with the lifeless leads and Marin's slapdash, mood less direction Johnny Angel does a terrible job of winging it.
ctb-2
George Raft plays the good guy for a change, and Claire Trevor plays the villainous femme fatale in a nicely done mystery. This was the first time that I remember seeing Signe Hasso in a film, and I very much enjoyed her performance as the subject of George Raft's rescue, and romantic interest.
AD
