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.
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.