Thanks for the memories!

Memorable, crazy movie

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

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

Anne Jeffreys, Pat OBrien, and Walter Slezak star in the search for a missing passenger. The passenger had a map of valuable oil reserves, but didn't land with the plane in Panama. Of course they question the only other passenger, who claims he knows nothing about it. Then they bring in the private eye (OBrien) to figure out what's going on. Expert viewers will recognize Percy Kilbride as "Pop", the taxi driver, who knows more than he should. He was Pa Kettle for MANY years. It's a decent plot, but everyone keeps getting knocked off, and now Dan, the P.I. is running out of clues. The rest of the story is very typical noir... private eye against thugs, private eye against the authorities. Keeps getting into trouble, keeps getting out of it. Obrien pretty much carries the show.

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.

I thought I'd seen just about all of the great, dark thrillers made in the late 40s - this little gem was a great surprise! It is well scripted, well acted, fast paced and commands the viewers attention. Walter Slezak is wonderful in his role as villain: fat, sweaty and greedy - what worked for Sidney Greenstreet works equally as well for Slezak. Slezak, who usually played villains and cads, had the knack of winning an audience's affection. Pat O'Brien is excellent in the role, if a little long-in-the-tooth to be courting a 23 year old Anne Jeffrys. Percy Kilbride, of Pa Kettle fame, is fun in his role as a placid yet cunning taxi driver, whose taxi would have been considered ancient, even in 1947. Definitely worth watching if you are a fan of this genre. As an aside, it's great to see that Anne Jeffreys is still very active in acting, and still very beautiful - nearly 60 years after this film was made.