Nice effects though.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

OK: That's only at the beginning. catch the start of this nice little noir. Raft makes an entrance any diva would have been pleased with. And he arrives to visit his sister. On the way, he passes a squabbling couple. The sister greets him with love and concern, commenting on how tired he looks. And then he goes to soak in a hot bath! Later in the movie, we see that the authors have been influenced by another play that became a movie: The girlfriend of one of the bad guys suddenly sounds like Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn, from "Born yesterday." It may indeed have been unconscious. But wait: The climactic scene -- and this is giving nothing away -- is set in a theater.All this said, it's an excellent movie for something on so obviously low a budget. Raft is the same as he usually was. He's not exciting but he gives a solid performance. The lead female, Dorothy Hart, is attractive and convincing. The supporting cast is very good and they're all well directed.It's by no means a great movie but it's a decent, good one, worth your time.

Loan Shark - 1952 George Raft vehicle about an ex-con who is recruited to break up a Loan Sharking ring in a tire factory.Solid movie following Raft's infiltration of the local mob.A good cast and crew make this typical material a solid entertainment.We see Russell Johnson(the professor on Gilligan's Island) as the tout/shill for the mob.John Hoyt(the doctor in the Star Trek pilot:The Cage) does a good job as the mob boss. Sure some of the fight scenes are clumsy and the dialogue is clichéd at times,but is a decent movie with some good shots inside the tire factory and a decent storyline with a laundry/loansharking industry.Nothing outstanding- but a good escape for fans of the genre and Raft's rakish charm.The DVD has an informative commentary track Richard M. Roberts. C+

Very good noir that doesn't pause for a moment, gives us a good look at the inside of the tyre manufacturing factory and the allied thuggery via the loan sharks and plenty of violence. Indeed this is a fairly tough one with vicious beatings (if not always particularly convincing) and a very decent performance from George Raft. He seems a bit old to still be playing the ladies' man but when he makes a grab for his sister's friend and forces a kiss from her, we realize this is someone not to underestimate. The story moves along well and it is only a shame that after the tremendous opening with the rain soaked and heavily shadowed streets leading us to the first beating, things slow down, just a little. Plenty of good stuff though and a fine and unusually set finale.

George Raft is Joe Gargan, an ex con who is hired by a tire factory owner and a union leader to help smash a loan sharking mob that has been preying on factory workers. Joe works his way into the loan sharkers operation in order to get the goods on the guy who killed his brother in law and find out who the mobs top boss is. Since Joe can't tell anyone what he is up to, this puts a strain on his personal life; his sister no longer wants anything to do with him and he gets dumped by his girlfriend. Of course Joe clears everything up at the end.Although LOAN SHARK has a somewhat weak script, the film is a fast paced, well acted, and efficient gangster thriller. Dorthy Hart, who played Jane to Lex Barkers Tarzan the same year as this film, looks lovely. Overall, LOAN SHARK is recommend for fans of George Raft and post war gangster movies.