DbcultAccessing Vault...
5.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Rip Roaring Riley remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have a massive soft spot for these tiny, fast-paced black-and-white actioners from the thirties. It is not going to change your life. If you hate movies where the hero solves everything by just showing up and looking serious, you’re gonna have a bad time.
The whole thing feels like it was filmed in a weekend, which is kind of its charm, I guess. Lloyd Hughes plays Ted Riley like he’s bored of his own mission. Maybe he just really wanted a sandwich.
Riley blows up his own boat right at the start. It’s a very dramatic moment that happens so fast I had to rewind just to make sure I saw it right. Why blow it up? The movie doesn't really care to explain it, and honestly, neither do I. It gets him on the island, so who cares?
Major Gray is the bad guy here, and he’s doing that thing where he acts like a military man but clearly has no idea how to actually run an island base. He’s got this secret gas, but he mostly uses it to look grumpy in low-light rooms. The chemist and his daughter, Anne, are just there to look worried while Riley walks around looking for the exit.
Watching this reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Flying Lariats, though with way fewer horses and way more bad suits. It lacks the polish of Grand Exit, but there’s a certain weird rhythm to it. It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just trying to get to the closing credits before the studio lights burn out.
There is a scene where Riley is just standing there in the background, and he looks like he’s waiting for a bus. The editor must have been falling asleep. It’s those tiny, messy details that make you realize this wasn't high art—it was content, even back then. Still, I’d take this over some of the slogs I’ve sat through lately. It’s short, it’s loud, and it ends before it can get annoying.
