Blood on the Moon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Blood on the Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Drifter vs. grifters.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 24, 2020

Produced just before Howard Hughes' complete takeover of RKO Pictures in 1948, Robert Wise's Blood on the Moon was the second Western featuring Robert Mitchum released by the studio that year (the first being Rachel and the Stranger, also available from Warner Archive Collection). Despite their shared genres and leading men, the films couldn't be any more different: whereas Rachel and the Stranger is a mostly gentle and low-key affair, Blood on the Moon is a twisting and forceful film noir dressed up in traditional Western attire. It's probably much closer in overall tone and execution to Mitchum's breakout film Out of the Past, released less than a year earlier -- and though it doesn't reach those heights, Blood on the Moon is still a durable and entertaining film that plays great more than seven decades later.

Mitchum plays another "Jim" this time as well: here he's Jim Garry, a drifter who's following a job offer by old friend Tate Riling (Robert Preston) but runs smack into a conflict between local homesteaders and cattle ranchers. The latter is headed by rancher John Lufton (Tom Tully), whose daughters Amy (Barbara Bel Geddes) and Carol (Phyllis Thaxter) live nearby. The fiery Amy treats Jim as an intruder but eventually softens, while her sister is never quite sure of the drifter's real intentions. As the conflict deepens, Riling informs Jim that Native American agent Jake Pindalest (Frank Faylen) has been scheming to get Lufton's cattle on the cheap. This quickly becomes a game of "who's playing who?" with several willing participants on both sides -- and those trapped in the middle, including first-time viewers -- left wondering where Jim's loyalty lies. Through it all, the drifter seems like he might finally put down roots.

Robert Wise provides very confident direction from start to finish for what he once described as his "first big feature"; he would, of course, go on to direct such films as West Side Story , The Sound of Music, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. But it's the terrific performances and great cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca that do most of the heavy lifting; I could honesty take or leave some of the bigger twists and turns as Blood on the Moon wears on, as they slightly derail the story's raw effectiveness by ushering in too many web-like relationships between supporting characters. It's still a great effort, all things considered, and safe to say that anyone who loves classic Westerns -- and, of course, Out of the Past -- will enjoy what Blood on the Moon brings to the table.

Warner Archive Collection's solid month continues with another excellent Blu-ray, and one that obviously makes a fine double-feature with Rachel and the Stranger. Its highlight is a brand new 4K-sourced transfer that pays tribute to the film's great cinematography which, combined with a lossless mono audio mix, will thrill fans waiting to retire their long out-of-print DVD and/or VHS copies. Simply put, Blood on the Moon likely looks better now than it did in 1948.

Blood on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I've long since run out of adjectives to describe Warner Archive's reliably solid 1080p transfers, so I'll just say that Blood on the Moon is another top-notch effort. As with the just-released Rachel and the Stranger and many other recent WAC discs, the film's original nitrate negative was given a fresh 4K scan and additional manual cleanup. Not surprisingly, the result is an extremely organic and film-like presentation with lots of silvery grain, fantastic texture levels, very refined grays and shadow detail, and no telltale signs of blooming or black crush along the way. It's a very consistent and pleasing effort that supports the film's beautiful cinematography well, from the dark and rain-soaked opening scene to no shortage of beautiful sunny skies and noir-infused night encounters. As usual, the end result is a purist's dream that's even more impressive because it also serves as the film's high-definition debut.

Blood on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This high-quality DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track does a fine job with Blood on the Moon's modest but serviceable source elements. Dialogue sounds clean and well-rendered with plenty of room to breathe during wide-open outdoor scenes, which also extends to background noise and weather-related effects. The original score by Roy Webb (who, like Robert Mitchum and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, also worked on Out of the Past) sounds great as well, with a relatively strong dynamic range and very little clipping at the high end. Likewise, no other age-related sonic defects are present such as hissing, pops, or sync issues. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film; these are formatted nicely, and though garish yellow at least they aren't ALL CAPS like many recent WAC Blu-rays.

Blood on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover art and no inserts.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:52) - A short but sweet promotional piece that's in extremely rough shape but neat to have for posterity. Watch it here, and an HD clip of the opening scene while you're at it.

Blood on the Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the better marriages of Western and film noir, Robert Wise's Blood on the Moon has a little something for everyone: action, intrigue, romance, and fantastic visuals. It's a true "total package" film that, despite a few slightly overwrought twists and turns along the way, still scratches a unique itch more than 70 years after its theatrical release. Warner Archive's Blu-ray follows suit with another reliably outstanding A/V presentation and feels like a great package even without any real extras. It's obviously worth picking up for fans of the genre and cast and makes a nice little double feature with the recently released Rachel and the Stranger (another fine Western with Robert Mitchum).