I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Johnny Angel is directed by Edwin L. Marin and adapted to screenplay by Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher from Mr. Angel Comes Aboard written by Charles Gordon Booth. It stars George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso and Hoagy Carmichael. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Harry J. Wild.Merchant sailor Johnny Angel (Raft) returns from duty to seek out who was responsible for his Father's death...Fans of film noir as a film making style will get much from this, in fact the story has enough about it for fans of the form to enjoy. Yet peeking through the wonderful fogs and shadows, you find a pretty unadventerous narrative, a routine job where Raft is on auto-pilot and Trevor has you hankering for her other (great) noir endeavours. Still, what do us amateur reviewers know? Film made money at the box office!Noir shadings in look and narrative twists, Johnny Angel is however lacking in thrills and surprises. 6/10

George Raft is compelling (as he was in the similar NOCTURNE); the rest of the movie is so-so. This is a naval-themed film noir type movie in which Raft plays a tough guy investigating a modern-day Mary Celeste episode, in which his father is among the missing seaman. What unfolds is a conspiracy containing the usual ingredients you expect from this genre: femme fatales, snivelling bad guys, a handful of amusingly-staged punch-ups.JOHNNY ANGEL is a RKO-produced cheapie and the poverty of its budget is apparent from its talky nature. The script is unremarkable, offering each of its cast only a few good lines to get ahold of; the dialogue, for instance, was much snappier in NOCTURNE. Claire Trevor has a nice supporting role as a sinister lady and Hoagy Carmichael is entertaining, but it's not quite enough to lift this above mediocrity. The truth is there just isn't much here and it feels drawn out, despite the short running time.

George Raft's acting in this movie is not very high-quality, despite his undeniable strong screen presence. Yes he reads his lines "George Raft" style, but is only reading his lines rather than acting. Its as if Raft is only here to contribute his notable presence, which he certainly does, but acting-wise he just isn't required to give much of an effort. Claire Trevor brings it as always, and her energetic effort to interpret her role is in sharp contrast to the merely line-reading Raft. This makes some of their scenes noticeably out of sync for me. The rest of the cast is OK and they all do a fine job.The basic story is good, and is really enhanced by atmospheric fog and lighting effects, and the shipboard scenes are well-done. However, despite the effective harbor/ship atmosphere in general, there is a strange lack of any specific sense of New Orleans, the South, or Louisiana, except for a fake scene with moss draped on some tree limbs.If this movie was a little shorter it would be better. At times it tends to bog down, with numerous scenes strung together that could have been trimmed or maybe cut out altogether.Many well-done noir elements are here but unfortunately Raft's tendency to just walk-through scenes, combined with some slow-moving results by the director, eventually sink this ship before the end credits roll on screen.

George Raft plays the good guy for a change, and Claire Trevor plays the villainous femme fatale in a nicely done mystery. This was the first time that I remember seeing Signe Hasso in a film, and I very much enjoyed her performance as the subject of George Raft's rescue, and romantic interest.