Always cool to run into an unexpected gem like this one cruising the streaming channels. The title alone was enough of a hook but George Raft's name in the credits was a clincher. Raft's character, Joe Gargen, is a former boxer just out of prison who's determined to go straight. He does so by taking the long way around when he agrees to investigate a loan shark ring responsible for the death of his sister's husband. The early going takes place in a tire factory where he starts getting the lay of the land, and the location offers a neat look at a rubber plant assembly line at various stages. That had to be a nasty and smelly line of work.
To get in with the hoods, Joe takes out a fifty-dollar loan, and purposely falls behind on the weekly interest so the mob's enforcer would come after him. When he does, Joe makes short work of him, thereby gaining the attention of lower boss Lou Donelli (Paul Stewart). A job interview with Vince Phillips (John Hoyt) gets him on the loan shark payroll, where he starts to get an inside look at the business end of the operation. As Joe proves his worth, he starts moving up the chain, until he's one step away from learning who the top boss is.
Joe's 'career' climb estranges him from his sister Marty (Helen Westcott), her brother Paul (Henry Slate), and love interest Ann Nelson, who portrayed by Dorothy Hart is just a shade over half of Raft's age when the picture was made. The age difference is palpable, but Raft could be suave when he had to be, and he finds it easy enough to pour on the charm when he isn't going toe to toe with the bad guys. It's only a matter of time before Joe puts it over on the loan shark bunch, bringing him back into the good graces of Ann and sister Marty. I found this film to be worth the trouble, and if you're a Raft fan, you need to give it a go.
To get in with the hoods, Joe takes out a fifty-dollar loan, and purposely falls behind on the weekly interest so the mob's enforcer would come after him. When he does, Joe makes short work of him, thereby gaining the attention of lower boss Lou Donelli (Paul Stewart). A job interview with Vince Phillips (John Hoyt) gets him on the loan shark payroll, where he starts to get an inside look at the business end of the operation. As Joe proves his worth, he starts moving up the chain, until he's one step away from learning who the top boss is.
Joe's 'career' climb estranges him from his sister Marty (Helen Westcott), her brother Paul (Henry Slate), and love interest Ann Nelson, who portrayed by Dorothy Hart is just a shade over half of Raft's age when the picture was made. The age difference is palpable, but Raft could be suave when he had to be, and he finds it easy enough to pour on the charm when he isn't going toe to toe with the bad guys. It's only a matter of time before Joe puts it over on the loan shark bunch, bringing him back into the good graces of Ann and sister Marty. I found this film to be worth the trouble, and if you're a Raft fan, you need to give it a go.