Usurier

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.

I found this little gem in the library. It was part of a "Hollywood's Attic" collection and had no information on the case other than the title, but I decided to check it out and have a few laughs. When I saw the credits, I decided anything with George Raft couldn't be all bad and decided to watch it through. Even though he was middle aged at the time, Raft was true to form in his portrayal of the ex-con tough guy infiltrating a loan shark operation responsible for his brother-in-law's death. Nice acting by everyone, including a young Russell Johnson. Definitely not Oscar caliber, but worth it if you're a film noir fan.

While not a fan of Raft's starring qualities for major studio films, I really enjoy him in tough little black and white B films like this. Low budget, filmed quickly, they seem a good fit for his real life tough, sometimes lowlife persona and abilities. I intend this as a compliment to Raft and if you watch "Loan Shark" you will see what I mean.

In addition to Raft you have here a fine supporting cast including one of the best John Hoyt crime performances of his long distinguished career.

Factories, lunch boxes and cheap hoods. Really evokes the underside of the 1950's and moves along briskly. Surprisingly entertaining.

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.

It sure was odd seeing a 57 year-old George Raft playing essentially the same role he'd been playing almost twenty years earlier--especially since the stuntman they used for him looked much younger and a lot more fit! Also, having a 27 year age difference between him and his girlfriend also strained the limits of credibility. However, if you can ignore the oddness of the casting, then it's a very good example of Film Noir that is sure to please lovers of this genre.

Raft plays a man who has just gotten out of prison for assault. He genuinely wants to go straight, but unfortunately the job prospect he has wants him to do some undercover work to determine who's in charge of a local loan shark business. He turns the job down, but when his brother-in-law is soon killed by these thugs, he changes his mind and works his way up through the racket to find "Mr. Big".

An exciting script, very good acting and pacing make this a fine fine example of Film Noir. If you liked this film, try to see Alan Ladd in APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER. The plot is very similar, though the Ladd film is a good bit grittier and tougher.

By the way, although this is a good film, Raft's prospects in Hollywood were pretty bleak at this point in his career. Raft made a habit of turning down amazing roles and by the 1950s he was starring in mostly B-pictures. According to IMDb, he'd "turned down High Sierra (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942) and Double Indemnity (1944)"--yikes!