You can't judge a book by its cover
and you can't judge a movie by its poster. Case in point: "Blood on the
Moon", a 1948 western that was marketed with a poster depicting star
Robert Mitchum in a ten-gallon hat along with an image of Barbara Bel
Geddes wielding a rifle and a tag line that read "A Woman's Bullet
Kills as Quick as a Man's!" At first glance, one would be forgiven for
assuming the movie was yet another of the "Poverty Row" one-day wonders
that flooded theaters in the 1930s. Indeed, the image of Mitchum has him
somewhat resembling good ol' Hopalong Cassidy. However, looks can be
deceiving and "Blood on the Moon" is actually a superior western, thanks
in part to its director, Robert Wise, who had recently transcended from
being a highly-acclaimed film editor to the director's chair.
"Blood on the Moon" is an adaptation of a serialized story by Luke Short that ran in the Saturday Evening Post. Robert Mitchum
is cast as Jim Garry, a mysterious drifter who is invited to meet with
an old friend, Tate Riling (Robert Preston). Riling informs Tate that he
needs his abilities with a gun to aid him in a scheme. He has partnered
with a corrupt local federal agent, Jake Pindalest (Frank Faylen) who
oversees an Indian reservation to ensure they can get the impressive
cattle herd of rancher John Lufton (Tom Tully) at cut-rate prices. This
they contrive to accomplish by having Pindalest terminate the
long-standing contract by which Lufton sells his beef to the U.S. government, which in turn, uses the meat to feed the Native American population on the reservation. A side-swindle is that Riling wants to intimidate farmers to vacate land that they and Lufton occupy so that he can own the enormous acreage. Garry is not your typical white-hat cowboy hero, despite the fact that he favors wearing one. At first he accepts coming in as a partner on the scam and using his skills with a gun to drive off the farmers. However, when he witnesses the brutality Riling is using to further his goals, he changes his mind and ends up siding with Lufton. He's also come to the realization that Riling has been wooing one of Lufton's daughters, Carol (Phyllis Thaxter) as a way to wear down Lufton's resistance. Garry thinks this is particularly egregious. He also has a tense introduction to Lufton's other daughter, Amy (Barbara Bel Geddes), who is a sharp-shooting tom girl who tries to intimidate him by showing off her skills with a gun. As in all films in which the leading male and female characters start off with an acrimonious relationship, they ultimately fall in love. Garry's switching to the other side causes a rift with Riling and leads to a sensational knock-down, drag-out fight between that is a highlight of the film. (Mitchum and Preston choreographed the scene themselves and performed most of their own stunts.) Ultimately, the two old friends must square off in a final shootout that finds Garry, Amy and a local farmer, Kris (Walter Brennan), trapped in a cabin and surrounded by Lufton and his goons during an extended shoot-out that allows Amy to demonstrate her courage and skills with a rifle.
"Blood on the Moon" is a conventional western in some ways but what allows it to rise above the pack is the direction of Robert Wise, who gives the production a moody, film noir-like atmosphere, which is unusual for this genre. The film benefits from the creative B&W cinematography of Nicholas Musuraca, who makes nondescript shots of Garry riding in the moonlight look like frame-by-frame works of art. Mitchum is well cast as the protagonist, a complex man who is a bit of a scoundrel. Preston makes an excellent villain and Bel Geddes and Thaxter thrive in unusual roles for women in this era of filmmaking in that they are more than window dressing and are quite capable of humiliating the male characters. Walter Brennan also delivers a fine performance, cast in a role of a tragic farmer that is devoid of his usual amusing mannerisms.
The Warner Archive region-free Blu-ray presents an excellent transfer and the original trailer. Recommended.
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