His Kind of Woman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

His Kind of Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

RKO from outta nowhere!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 29, 2025

One of those films where behind-the-scenes turmoil is clearly visible in the finished product, RKO Pictures' bloated but wildly entertaining His Kind of Woman feels like two or three short films haphazardly smashed together. The on-screen directing credit may belong to John Farrow, but Richard Fleischer and possibly one or two other uncredited talents were brought in during an exhaustive, oft-delayed production that reportedly lasted over a year. Even first-time viewers will notice a few tonal changes along the way, but its final 35 minutes go completely off the rails as His Kind of Woman shifts from a comedic, noir-tinted romantic drama to over-the-top action involving Nazi mind-altering drugs.

Our story starts in Naples, where deported gangster Nick Ferraro (Raymond Burr) wants to return to the United States and get back to business. He chooses professional American gambler Dan Milner (Robert Mitchum) to help: he's similar in height and weight... so if Dan leaves the country for awhile, Nick can simply borrow his identity for the time being. Down-on-his-luck Dan is offered a cool $50,000 and a year-long stay at the Mexican resort Morro's Lodge and, as luck would have it, he shares a chartered plane with lovely singer Lenore Brent (Jane Russell). Dan's totally smitten with her and impressed with the resort, but he has a few questions about what happens next... so for now, he's waiting on further instructions and soon discovers that other rich guests at Morro's have ulterior motives.

At the risk of potential spoilers, let's just say that His Kind of Woman gradually reveals plenty of secrets as we get to know some of the resort's quirky inhabitants, from solitary chess-playing author Martin Krafft (John Mylong) to fading but still-active movie star Mark Cardigan (Vincent Price), who makes time with Lenore until his estranged wife Helen (Marjorie Reynolds) makes a surprise visit. As the drama unfolds, Morro's -- and by extension, the film itself -- gets a little too crowded, yet Dan -- and by extension, pretty much every Robert Mitchum character -- is well-equipped with clever comebacks and always seems one step ahead of whatever's around the corner. Dan's basically an all-knowing tour guide despite just getting there, yet it's only a matter of time before he'll be in over his head.

The film's left-field final stretch, which seizes the last half-hour of its bloated 120-minute running time, substantially ratches up action and suspense but keeps some of the comedy intact, while titular Lenore basically disappears during most of it as His Kind of Woman spirals even further away from its original setup. By now most viewers have probably forgotten about character motivations, intentions, relationships, and even whole personalities; amiable actor Mark, for example, has now turned in a full-time Hamlet-spouter prowling his private hunting area on the resort grounds, while poor Lenore is literally trapped in a closet. For these reasons and several others, His Kind of Woman truly is a film that must be seen to be believed: one that begins innocently enough but ends up feeling like some sort of whacked-out fever dream. Somehow, though, it remains magnetically entertaining almost in spite of itself.

Mitchum, Price, Russell, Burr, and company are a big reason why it's fun no matter what, but His Kind of Woman feels haphazardly slapped together because that's exactly what happened. Credited director John Farrow reportedly turned in his finished version that ran about 79 minutes, but notoriously "hands-on" RKO head Howard Hughes apparently cut it to ribbons and enlisted Fleischer (who had already finished The Narrow Margin, which wouldn't be released until a year later, but that's another story) to reshoot certain scenes and add in new ones. An estimated two-thirds of poor Farrow's original footage remains in this final -- and only remaining -- cut of His Kind of Woman, suggesting that Fleischer was possibly responsible for the "new and improved" final act, but the real story may never be fully known.

It's at least partially addressed in a carryover DVD-era audio commentary included on Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition of His Kind of Woman, which is of course led by a sparkling new 4K-sourced restoration of the original camera negative and terrific lossless audio too. It's one of those films where the total package carries more weight than the film itself which, despite those issues outlined above, is far from a total loss -- this is still enjoyable Golden Age Hollywood entertainment, all things considered, and only sometimes comparable to a magnetic car wreck.

His Kind of Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I'll keep it short and sweet: Warner Archive's stunning 1080p transfer of His Kind of Woman, which is sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original camera negative, is every bit as good as you'd expect from the boutique label. This is a strikingly clean and organic presentation, one that's loaded with fine detail and textures, deep blacks, silvery mid-range tones, and strong shadow detail that doesn't fall victim to crushing. What's more is that a natural layer of film grain can be seen and it's especially noticeable in lustrous close-ups of its stars, including of course Jane Russell. As evidenced by these direct-from-disc screenshots (even in lightly compressed form), it's a knockout effort with solid encoding and no obvious compression issues, as this dual-layered disc runs at a smooth and supportive bit rate from start to finish. As always, buy with confidence that you're getting as definitive a home video presentation as the format allows.

His Kind of Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track is no slouch and sounds deceptively clean and dynamic for a film of this vintage; only trace amounts of hiss are present here and there, but that's a good sign that no excessive noise reduction has been applied. Indeed, it's a solidly robust track with crisp dialogue, well-placed effects, and more than enough room left over for the original score by Leigh Harline, who's best known for his work on early Disney films including Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as the handful of songs performed by Jane Russell (above).

Optional English (SDH) are offered during the film only, not the bonus features listed below.

His Kind of Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed artwork. Three bonus features are included.

• Audio Commentary - This essential DVD-era commentary by UCLA film historian Vivian Sobchack, as implied above, is pretty much required listening for anyone interested in the film's behind-the-scenes turmoil. Sobchack makes several attempts to detail Howard Hughes' interference (including a great story about his insistence that they re-build a ship seen on-screen because of one incorrect detail) and points out other interesting items, such as the fact that Raymond Burr wasn't even cast until after credited director John Farrow turned in his original cut of the film. That said, there are several lapses into silence which could've been remedied by a second participant or moderator, but there's more than enough here to consider it a totally worthwhile experience. Please note that this audio commentary plays over an unrestored standard-definition version of His Kind of Woman, as it was originally recorded "hard baked" into the older DVD master rather than as a stand-alone audio file.

• Bunny Hugged (7:14) - This restored 1951 Merrie Melodies short, directed by Chuck Jones, sees "The Crusher" facing off against "Ravishing Ronald" and "The Masked Terror", who might just be Bugs Bunny in a purple hood. If this setup sounds familiar, it's basically a variation on Jones' 1948 Bugs Bunny boxing short Rabbit Punch.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:13) - This rare and rough-looking promo can also be seen here.

His Kind of Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

RKO Pictures' His Kind of Woman is one of several films that studio head Howard Hughes almost micro-managed to death... but the stacked cast, snappy dialogue, baffling tonal shifts, and mystery of its behind-the-scenes friction make this a movie that shouldn't be missed. I really enjoyed it in spite of the obvious flaws, so take that somewhat middling movie rating up there with a grain of salt. Warner Archive's welcome Blu-ray elevates the experience to greater heights, from its outstanding new restoration to several great extras including a worthwhile DVD-era audio commentary that's been carried over. Fans and first-timers alike should strongly consider adding this terrific disc to their collection, but good luck figuring out where to put it if you sort your movies by genre. Highly Recommended.