Blood on the Moon

"A woman's bullet kills as quick as a man's!"

1948 1h 28m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 73

WesternRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Down-and-out cowhand Jim Garry is asked by his old friend Tate Riling to help mediate a cattle dispute. When Garry arrives, however, it soon becomes clear that Riling has not been entirely forthright. Garry uncovers Riling's plot to dupe local rancher John Lufton out of a fortune. When Lufton's firecracker of a daughter, Amy, gets involved, Garry must choose between his old loyalties and what he knows to be right.

“A woman's bullet kills as quick as a man's!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Robert Mitchum
Jim Garry
Barbara Bel Geddes
Amy Lufton
Robert Preston
Tate Riling
Walter Brennan
Kris Barden
Phyllis Thaxter
Carol Lufton
Frank Faylen
Jake Pindalest
Tom Tully
John Lufton
Charles McGraw
Milo Sweet

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Wise
Writers: Lillie Hayward
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Wise, shot by Nicholas Musuraca. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roy Webb. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Samuel E. Beetley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Mitchum and Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Preston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A woman's bullet kills as quick as a man's!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040175 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Wise directs. Nicholas Musuraca behind the camera. Roy Webb scores. Samuel E. Beetley cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
278 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Robert Wise, shot by Nicholas Musuraca. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Roy Webb. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Samuel E. Beetley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Mitchum and Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Preston carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A woman's bullet kills as quick as a man's!".
8IMDB entry: tt0040175 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 73 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "daughter", "cattle drive", "homesteader", "drifter".

The technical file

Cinematography: Nicholas Musuraca
Original score: Roy Webb
Editing: Samuel E. Beetley
Costume design: Edward Stevenson
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bau
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $88
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Blood on the Moon (1948)

Also by

Robert Wise

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-02-10
★ 7/10
I can buy me that kind of friend for $75 a month and no questions asked. Blood on the Moon is directed by Robert Wise and is adapted from a Luke Short story by Lillie Hayward and Harold Shumante. It stars Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan, Phyllis Thaxter, Frank Faylen, Tom Tully and Charles McGraw. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca. Story has Mitchum as drifting cowboy Jim Garry, who after receiving a job offer in the mail from old acquaintance Tate Riling (Preston), finds himself pitched in the middle of a war between cattle ranchers and homesteaders. Effective and tightly crafted Western that has garnered many favourable remarks, due in the main to its ability to veer away from formula suggested by the plot and the technical film noir touches brought about by the great Musuraca. With Mitchum turning in one of his great screen dominating performances, film is driven forward by the psychological aspects brought about by thematics such as duplicity, split loyalties and moral quandaries. Director Wise does a good job of pacing the film, keeping it on the slow burn whilst dialling into Jim Garry's mindset, and picture is further boosted by a great knuckle fight and a rip-roaring siege shoot out at the end. But it's the mood created by Musuraca and Wise that is the real winner. With the film set 90% at night or in darkened rooms, shadow play is high and an oppressive feel adds weight to the psychological clocks ticking away in the narrative. In support of Mitchum, Geddes does spunky cowgirl well, while the presence of Brennan, Faylen and the gravel voiced McGraw is keenly felt. Good story, well acted and visually potent. 7/10

Production companies