Blood on the Moon (1948)

Director: Robert Wise

Writers: Luke Short, Lillie Hayward, Harold Shumate

Composer: Roy Webb

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan, Phyllis Thaxter, Frank Faylen, Tom Tully, Charles McGraw, Clifton Young, Tom Tyler, George Cooper, Tom Keene, Bud Osborne, Zon Murray, Robert Bray, Harry Carey Jr., Iron Eyes Cody

More info: IMDb

Tagline: When there's BLOOD ON THE MOON...death lurks in the Shadows!

Plot: When a shady-looking stranger rides into town to join his old friend it is assumed he is a hired gun. But as the new man comes to realise the unlawful nature of his buddy's business and the way the homesteaders are being used, the two men draw apart to become sworn enemies.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? No but I wouldn't be opposed to it.

Gee, I didn't anticipate anything as good as this.  Mitchum is great.  He doesn't say much and I think he works best that way.  He's got a way about him where he's able to play more complex, darker characters.  In a way this has moments of feeling like a film noir, from the story to the nice use of shadows.  It's no surprise that this came from director Robert Wise who came up from the school of Val Lewton.  The rest of the cast does a wonderful job as well.  I was mostly taken in by the story.  It's more complex and it's darker than most from this period.  Hell, even though the ending is upbeat, it's not overly cheerful like most Westerns from the 30s and 40s. I really enjoyed it.  It's engaging with plenty of action and intrigue to kill an hour and half and feel good about it.