Riffraff

Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffries and Walter Slezak star in "Riffraff," a 1947 film from RKO.

In the beginning of the film, there is a wonderful scene showing a plane as a storm rages. Though there are two passengers in the plane, when it lands in Peru, there is only one, a man named Hasso.

Hasso seeks out a detective, Dan Hammer (Pat O'Brien), says he needs protection, and hires him. Another job come in right away when a representative of an oil company enters and hires Hammer to find a map -- it turns out that Hammer's client Hasso has it.

Hasso is killed, and Hammer runs up against Walter Slezak, a dangerous man who wants the map and will do anything to get it. Just about everyone is looking for that map.

The cinematography by George Diskant is very good, and the film is directed with precision and good pace by Ted Tetzlaff.

The acting is good, though for me Pat O'Brien has never been a leading man. He's miscast here. Anne Jeffreys is a knockout -- I met her last year when she was 92, and guess what, she's still gorgeous.

Great fight scene at the end of the film. Worth seeing.