Sorry, this movie sucks

Powerful

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.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

***SPOILERS*** 1930's & 40's movie tough guy George Raft drifts into town-Algiers-as vacationing American defective Mike Canelli looking forward to see the sight of the North African nation. Only to get himself involved in a stolen gold & smuggling operation by local as well as French hoods that's been going on there since the end of WWII. At first mistaken by the city police chief Capt. Akhim Bay, Leon Lenoir, as US Government secret agent Charles Stark, Richard MacNamara, Canelli ends up being up to his neck in the gold smuggling operation that almost has him killed.It turns out that Canelli gets unexpected help from beautiful and exotic French-Algerian sexpot Lorraine Belogne, Gianna Marie Canale, whom he was introduced to in the most unusual circumstances: While she was taking a bath in her hotel-room. As it turned out that Lorraine had a recording made by the four fingered Emile Touchard, Guido Celano, the only survivor of the Free French outfit who hid 100 million in gold in the Sahara Desert in 1942 before Rommell's Afrika Corps or gangs of Arab marauders could get their hands on it. It takes a while for Canelli to convince Lorraine to take him into her confidence in getting her to believe that he's only trying to get the 100 million in gold back to the French Treasury department, as well as a $200,000.00 reword for it, not in him being a part of the criminal ring who want it all for themselves. And who are more then willing to kill anyone-like Lorraine-who gets in their way.****SPOILERS*** After getting kidnapped and worked over a number of times by members of the gold smuggling ring Canelli, battered and bruised, finally puts 2 and 2 together and with the help of the secret recording as well as the limping Professor Crespi- who it turns out is really the missing French GeneralDumont-,Alfredo Varelli,and finds out who the head man of the gold smuggling operation really is: Non other then respected French WWII freedom fighter Major La Blanc who's really international hoodlum Emile Moreau! With a train load of stolen gold about to check out of town with Moreau on it Canelli as well as Lorraine tries to stop his sudden departure only to have the local police lead by Capt Bey, who at first suspected Canelli was part of the god smuggling ring, making the pinch with Moreau, who by then saw that the gig was up, shot while trying to escape!

A rather confusing set-up has Richard McNamara, an FBI agent, involved in a search with the French government for missing gold. He runs into old acquaintance George Raft who ends up involved and McNamara disappears from view. Raft gets involved in with the sexy Gianna Maria Canale who may or may not know more about the gold than she's letting on. The film never really grasps you the way a thriller of this mold really should and although there are a few exciting sequences and some tension, the result is pretty pallid. Irene Papas, in one of her earliest roles, stands out, but ultimately, she is wasted with a "nothing" part. The attempt to copy the European "new wave" fails here and the results are predictable and never intriguing.

While Film Noir continues to ride high as flavor of the month, a number of minor offerings from the "B" market such as Man from Cairo are beginning to surface on DVD. Admittedly, this movie is must viewing for fans of Gianna Maria Canale (counting me), but is somewhat heavy going for everyone else. Irene Papas admirers will be disappointed by the brevity of her role; and although Leon Lenoir plays a major part in the action (with lots of close-ups), his voice is obviously dubbed. Only smartly tailored Massimo Serato comes across in flying style, although Angelo Dessy has his moment. True, the confused is-she-good, is-she-bad affair does come to a slap-up action finale, even if the actual unmasking is somewhat weak.Alas, George Raft makes a tired, bored and boring hero. But the dull plot is wrapped up in lustrous black-and-white photography by Mario Albertelli who handled one of my favorite movies, Rossini (1942).

George Raft is an ex-G.I. who is wandering the world. He just happens into Algeria at the same time an old friend is investigating the theft of French government gold. When the friend is killed, Raft is pulled into the investigation and his life is suddenly hanging by a thread. So it's up to tough-guy Raft to clear himself for the murder and get to the bottom of the theft.Years before, George Raft made BACKGROUND TO DANGER. Now a decade later, he's made a film that is very similar. Unfortunately, in the meantime, he's gotten 10 years older AND 10 years more wooden in his performance. It was amazing to see how unanimated and dull he'd become in the meantime--with very little energy or emotion--like he's just walking through the role. He talks a lot but doesn't do all that much--possibly due to the script or possibly because he's obviously too old to play the action hero. Sadly, all the supporting actors are pretty forgettable, too--forcing Raft to shoulder the entire turgid film.The bottom line is that this film isn't all that original (having seen several similar films) and it's not particularly fun or interesting--though it's not a bad film. Worth seeing only if you have relatively low expectations.