Blood on the Moon (1948)
Directed by Robert Wise
Genres - Western, Drama, Romance |
Sub-Genres - Psychological Western |
Release Date - Nov 9, 1948 (USA), Nov 11, 1948 (USA - Limited) |
Run Time - 88 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
One of the best "psychological" westerns of the 1940s, RKO Radio's Blood on the Moon stars Robert Mitchum as itinerant cowboy Jim Garry. Riding into a Texas Indian reservation, Garry finds himself embroiled in a deadly feud between cattle ranchers and homesteaders. He befriends both Amy Lufton (Barbara Bel Geddes), daughter of wealthy cattle man John Lufton (Tom Tully), and smooth-talking mercenary Tate Rilling (Robert Preston). What neither Garry nor Amy realize is that Rilling is a snake, conspiring with crooked Indian agent Jake Pindalest (Frank Faylen) to make off with Lufton's cattle. At first aligning himself with Rilling, Garry finally figures out that his so-called friend is up to no good and casts his lot with Lufton, leading to a bloody showdown. Based on the novel by Luke Short, Blood on the Moon was given top-grade treatment by director Robert Wise, an alumnus of RKO Radio's editing department.
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Keywords
cattlemen, homestead, con/scam, drifter, friendship, land-scheme, land-war, landowner, outlaw [Western], partner, ranch, range-war