Loan Shark (1952): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1952, Loan Shark is a drama and crime film directed by Seymour Friedman, running about 79 minutes. “He knows every racket's strength... and every woman's weakness!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. A vicious loan shark ring has been preying on factory workers. When several workers at a tire factory suffer violence at the hands of the loan sharkers, a union leader and the factory owner try to recruit ex-con Joe Gargan to infiltrate to the gang. At first Joe does not want to get involved, but changes his mind when his brother-in-law dies at the hands of a savage loan shark hood. Joe works his way into the mob, but in order to keep his cover, Joe can't tell anyone what he is up to. This results in him being disowned by his sister and girl friend.

Who’s in it. Loan Shark stars George Raft as Joe Gargen, Dorothy Hart as Ann Nelson, Paul Stewart as Lou Donelli and John Hoyt as Vince Phillips, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.7/10, Loan Shark has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads and IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Loan Shark page.

If you liked it. Fans of Loan Shark tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.