Western Noir: Blood on the Moon (1948)

Several months ago, on Twitter, I asked for recommendations for westerns – it’s a genre I never really cared much about (like horror films and musicals), but that I wanted to explore (unlike horror films and musicals). I received dozens of suggested titles – unfortunately, I was only able to access a few of them.

The other day, I learned the Criterion channel was airing a collection of films packaged as “Western Noir.” I was so excited, you’d have thought I’d won some kind of jackpot – and actually, I did! The collection consists of 11 films, and I have binge-watched them all.

Mitchum is brimming with badassery in this film.

According to author and historian Imogen Sara Smith, who introduces the Criterion collection, the stories of Western noir could be “transported into an urban setting and fit right in as hard-boiled crime or gangster movies.” (I’ve found it Interesting to note the vehemence with which a few folks on social media deny that there’s such a thing as Western noir. These could very well be the same people who insist that a movie isn’t noir unless it contains a femme fatale or that all noirs have to be in black and white. I tend to be more flexible with my definitions – in my view, there are very few absolutes in noir; that’s part of what makes this era of filmmaking so fascinating and fun! So, why not Western Noir? Works for me.)

The first film that I watched in the Western Noir series was Blood on the Moon (1948), starring Robert Mitchum. I was especially excited to see this one – it was the first recommended film from several months back that I tried and was unable to view. Several of my Twitter friends had endorsed it, so I had high expectations – and boy, did it live up to every one! In the movie, Robert Mitchum stars as Jim Garry, a down-on-his-luck trail driver who’s smiled on by fortune when an old pal, Tate Riling (Robert Preston), hires him to help with a beef he has with a local cattleman. (A beef, get it? Forget it.)

This ain’t no Professor Harold Hill.

It turns out, though, that the dispute between Riling and the cattleman, John Lufton (Tom Tully), is not quite as Riling portrayed it, and Riling’s motives are, shall we say, less than honorable. Ignoring a fleeting reluctance to aid his friend’s enterprise, Garry is driven by more practical incentives: he needs the money. And Riling knows it. When the real reason for his hiring becomes clear to him, Garry says, “I’ve been mixed up in a lot of things, Tate, but up to now, I’ve never been hired for my gun.” And Riling matter-of-factly replies, “Can you afford to be particular?”

This may very well be my favorite Barbara Bel Geddes performance.

There’s a whole lot of other stuff going on in this movie. Riling is carrying on with Lufton’s eldest daughter (Phyllis Thaxter), who’s too blind with love to see that she’s being used by her lover to betray her father. And her feisty, fearless sister, Amy (Barbara Bel Geddes), at first attacks Garry – literally and figuratively – for his allegiance to Riling, but later discovers that there’s more to him than meets the eye. And then there’s a homesteader, Kris Barden (Walter Brennan), who starts out in unwavering support of Riling, but suffers a personal tragedy that represents a momentous pivot point in the film’s trajectory.

I don’t know from psychological, but there’s plenty o’ fightin’ and gunplay!

In reading reviews on Blood on the Moon, I was interested to note that the word “psychological” crops up time after time – the film is described as a “psychological western,” noted for its “striking psychological intensity” and “dark psychological undercurrents,” and referred to as a “tense psychological study.” I’ll admit that I’m not really sure what they’re referring to – I’m just not that deep, y’all. But I’ll tell you this – it’s a damn good movie, with standout performances all around, especially from Mitchum, Bel Geddes, Foster, and Brennan.

Nicholas Musuraca’s handiwork.

As a bonus, it’s directed by Robert Wise, who helmed such noir gems as Born to Kill (1947), The Set-Up (1949), and Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), and photographed by cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, who was behind the camera on numerous noir features including Out of the Past (1947). (And did I mention that the cast also includes Charles McGraw? What more do you want?)

If you have access to The Criterion Channel, or you don’t mind forking over $2.99 to stream it, I highly recommend that you check out this movie. If you’re like me, and were never really a big fan of westerns, you might just find yourself obsessed with them after watching this one.

Like me.

And stay tuned for future posts where I’ll take a look at some of the other films in the Criterion Channel’s Western Noir series!

~ by shadowsandsatin on July 21, 2020.