Macao

Unimpressive noir in spite of the star power and exotic setting.

Likeable enough. But nothing special.

I see this as almost a rehash of His Kind of Woman. Mitchum and Russell, exotic tropical location, light-hearted noir. It's pleasant, and the leads have enjoyable chemistry, and it's nice to see William Bendix and Gloria Grahame. But it doesn't pack much punch. It just seems to amble along from scene to scene without much sense of progression or escalation. The direction by von Sternberg is pretty hands-off, with only a few scenes really standing out. Fun but forgettable.

Fun little tale of international intrigue. It certainly felt like the director said, "Hey, send me to Macao and I'll write something there," as it seemed a little light on the plot. There's some chemistry between Mitchum and Russell, just not enough (even with that hilarious final line and the noirish lighting) to make it more than an average movie.

Mostly known for Josef von Sternberg making life miserable for everybody. Certainly a potboiler of a movie, it's the type of trashy stuff Robert Mitchum excelled in without even bothering. Wonderful clashing with equally trashy Jane Russell. The two really make this worth wild. Got some wonderful cheesy lines between them, like this gem "Well, it's not the Taj Mahal or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon but, uh, it's not bad." as Mitchum is caught looking at Russell.

Boring, except for Jane Russell and Gloria Grahame fighting over Robert Mitchum. And the final line of dialogue is very much to my liking (just after Mitchum emerges from the ocean on to the deck of the boat and attempts to embrace Russell): Julie exclaims, "But you're all wet," to which Nick replies, "You'd better start getting used to me fresh out of the shower."

"The night's young and I got plenty of cabbage." lol The two sleepiest-eyed people in Hollywood--Mitchum and Grahame--together in the same flick! Plus it's got Jane Russell being a complete wiseacre throughout (and her rendition of "One For the Road" is quite tasty too).

Fun, well told noir story. It rushes through its beats a bit too much and Russell is given too much screen time for such an underdeveloped character, but Mitchum carries the film and the supporting cast provides bright moments.

This should be a classic, in my opinion. I guess it's not much in terms of plot, but the atmosphere truly sizzles throughout. Some of the things Hollywood did were truly amazing and that atmosphere's a good example. Plus it has Mitchum at his most carefree, Jane Russell at her most tough and beautiful, a great supporting performance from William Bendix and a crackling screenplay. It's not particularly deep, but very enjoyable from start to finish.

Jane Russell and Robert Mitchum have great chemistry, and Jane has never been lovelier, thanks to the von Sternberg magic. (Glorla Grahame, in her small role, benefits too.) Bendix and Gomez give great support as always, the plot is straightforward, and the writing crisp and intelligent. A thoroughly enjoyable entertainment.