Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

st-shot George Raft's performance is as starched as the sailor suit he strolls around in while Signe Hasso's anxiety seems to stem from her inability to understand or speak English rather than the mysterious woman with a past in the abysmal Johnny Angel. When Captain Angel's ( Raft ) father, also a sea captain, is murdered for a gold shipment on his boat he sets out to solve and settle score. During his investigation he gets involved with Paulette (Hasso) and Lily (Claire Trevor), married to a child hood friend, to get some answers and a little face time. As he gets closer threat and violence ratchet up while his uniform remains crisp.Raft's career had already self destructed by the time he took on the title role in this leaden clunker. Rejecting roles (High Sierra) that would make Bogart a star he had to settle for Ed Marin instead of Huston and Hawks but stylish and cool as he was in his Scarface days Raft was a flat and limited actor. He's no different in Angel but his performance has nothing on the clueless and stiff Ms.Hasso who looks like she could use a lot more rehearsing. Claire Trevor gives her usual solid greedy tart performance while Marvin Miller as her unctuous doughy husband and the always memorable Margaret Wycherly introduce an Oedipal angle to the mix. But with the lifeless leads and Marin's slapdash, mood less direction Johnny Angel does a terrible job of winging it.

silverscreen888 Almost everyone says the same thing about this very-well-done noir mystery. they wish someone other than George Raftrhad performed the part. He played the son of a sea captain., When his father's ship drifts into port with no one aboard, he does not accept that his father had absconded or committed a crime; he goes into action trying to find out what really happened, stay alive, and clear his father's name. Of course the company's owners deny any knowledge of what had happened. So Raft has to end up romancing one of their women and enlisting the reluctant help of a frightened girl who knows more than she is telling before he can ferret out the murderers, who were robbers on a grand scale as well. Frank Gruber and Steve Fisher were responsible for this taut and fast-moving screenplay; the film was directed in B/W by Edward L. Marion, and he deserves most of the credit for the excellence it achieves in many departments. He is helped bu the cinematography of Harry J. Wild, art direction by veterans Albert S. d'Agostino and Jack Okey, the fine set decorations by Darrell Silvera and William Stevens, costume designs by Reni and Leigh Harline's jazz film score counterpointed by Paul Francis Webster's songs and Hoagy Carmichael's prior compositions used in the film. In the very good cast, the viewer should note besides Raft, who as some reviewers have noted, tends not to have nuances but does well as a one-note line reader, Marvin Miller, Margaret Wycherly, Signe Hasso, Hoagy Carmichael as a cabdriver named Celestial O'Brien, Claire Trevor, Lowell Gilmore, J. Farrel MacDonald and Mack Gray. Much of the movie was shot in low light, or simulated night, or fog or cramped quarters. This makes Marin's directing achievement all the more impressive. The pace works like a stopwatch; and the relationships between strong characters is carried out well in dialogue, in actions and in interactions of a peaceable or a violent sort. With a great lead, the film would be a classic; but Trevor and Hasso are very good indeed and Miller has an interesting character to play for once. Catch this one.

Infofreak I couldn't really get into this one, mainly because of the casting of George Raft as the hero. I'm not a big fan of Raft at the best of times, but he was usually convincing as a gangster or something similar. In this movie he looks uncomfortable as a more conventional leading man, and I just didn't find his character believable. With another actor, say Bogart or Robert Mitchum, I might have enjoyed 'Johnny Angel' a lot more, but as it is I found it very difficult to get interested in the plot, and my attention kept wandering. However the movie isn't entirely worthless, Hoagy Carmichael gives an entertaining turn as the wonderfully named eccentric cabbie Celestial O'Brien. And yes he sings. watch this movie for Hoagy if nothing else.

mjrobbins111 Confusing script, poor acting and unrealistic New Orleans setting lead to very disappointing movie. Coincidences abound and long boring exposition scenes are required to tell the story. George Raft much too old for his character and, seemingly, much to bored to make a real effort at acting. Miss this one.