Macao Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Macao Blu-ray Movie Review

Hong Kong? Phooey.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 29, 2026

The second half of RKO's back-to-back pairing of Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell (which began with the bloated but oddly entertaining His Kind of Woman), 1952's Macao seems streamlined by comparison but nonetheless also wasn't a smooth, trouble-free production. The majority of it was directed by Josef von Sternberg: be both reluctantly returned to Hollywood and left for good because of it, as his pointed style of working was reportedly not well-liked by several cast members including Russell herself. The younger Nicholas Ray, later known for Rebel Without a Cause, was eventually brought in to reshoot a climactic fist-fight sequence (which is great, of course), but his contributions were uncredited. So, is Macao yet another case of behind-the-scenes turbulence overshadowing the film itself?

Yes and no. This is actually a neat little film noir with heavy dashes of international flavor, yet one whose plot gets a bit annoyingly tangled the more it goes on. But Macao starts off with a bang, or at least a stab, when New York City police lieutenant Danial Lombardy is killed via knife attack near the Hong Kong harbor by several as-yet-unknown assailants. Some time later, three Americans arrive at port on the same boat... and though they don't fully know each other yet, they will soon enough. Nick Cochran (Mitchum) is a cynical WWII veteran travelling abroad to avoid prosecution for a crime he supposedly didn't commit; while exploring the boat only hours before it docks, he happens to break up a one-sided fight between nightclub singer Julie Benton (Russell) and her boyfriend. Also aboard is Lawrence Trumble (William Bendix), a travelling salesmen who gifts Julie a pair of replacement nylons but is really here to move contraband. Nick and Julie hit it off almost immediately -- even though she literally picks his pocket -- and Lawrence, though obviously "outsmoothed" by Nick, manages to hang around without feeling like a third wheel.

It's a solid enough setup for these three likable characters, all of whom contribute to Macao's plot as its characters explore and interact with each other inside the titular Chinese territory. We'll also meet several others including local American kingpin Vincent Halloran (Brad Dexter), who's the owner and operator of a popular gambling den alongside his girlfriend Margie (Gloria Grahame); he soon hires Julie for her ability to turn heads... but also does so in order to keep tabs on Nick, who's suspected of being an undercover cop. Another factor is the presence of Lt. Felizardo José Espirito Sebastian (Thomas Gomez), who seems loyal to Vincent but may have an agenda of his own.

The story gets a little convoluted as Macao unfolds, at least in relation to its deceptively scant 81-minute running time. Those expecting a film that's as seemingly straightforward as its first act won't get one but, like His Kind of Woman, the end result is nonetheless entertaining due to several factors. The first is the camaraderie of its primary cast: our three "teammates" played by Mitchum, Russell, and Bendix enjoy a loose, amiable level of comfort with each other and it's easy to see that the first two were friends off-set as well. (It's also one reason why Mitchum was reportedly able to fire back at director Josef von Sternberg's demands, either of himself or his co-stars, confident in the realization that he'd be the one to keep his job if any major trouble ensued.) The second is its production design, as Macao was mostly shot on RKO backlots but aided by ample amounts of stock footage from real locations, which were captured by cameraman Dick Davol to boslter Macao's authenticity. While these strengths don't fully make up for some of the story's jagged direction (which again, seems like a result of "too many cooks in the kitchen"), they certainly help.

Speaking of help, Warner Archive once again comes to the rescue by lavishing attention on Macao in a way similar to last year's Blu-ray edition of His Kind of Woman. It's led by another top-tier restoration, of course, and similarly aided by a legacy audio commentary as well as a vintage TCM interview with Mitchum and Russell.

Macao Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive has deliver yet another five-star effort that makes Macao look like new on this stunning new 1080p transfer which, as usual, has been sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. This mostly backlot-shot adventure often passes for the real McCoy, whose illusion is aided by generous amounts of exclusive stock footage and only occasionally interrupted by rear projection. All things considered, it casts a convincing spell and this restoration plays to its strengths, revealing new levels of fine detail and textures while preserving almost every ounce of film grain even though it's been thoroughly cleaned of all prevailing damage. Only a handful of scenes slightly drift into softer territory, which may either be due to baked-in issues or a quick swap for secondary source materials due to unavoidable damage, but Macao's strengths are so overwhelmingly seamless that it's almost impossible to award this Blu-ray with anything less than a perfect score. As usual, the encoding is supportive as the film runs at a continuously high bit rate with no obvious signs of macro blocking, black crush, or other compression-related issues.

Macao Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio runs a close second, as this DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track repurposes the original mono audio in a split two-channel container for wider playback. The film's ample dialogue is very nicely supported... and so is the original score by Anthony Collins, as well as Jule Styne & Leo Robin's "You Kill Me" and "Ocean Breeze" and "One for My Baby" by Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer, all performed by an uncredited Jane Russell. I wasn't able to hear any prevailing signs of damage, save for a very brief and forgivable moment of distortion during one of Russell's lines at the 39:15 mark, and overall this is a polished and pleasing "light touch" restoration effort that gets the job done.

Macao Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary This joint track by Eddie Muller and Stanley Rubin is very enjoyable, as the Film Noir Foundation president and screenwriter engage in a chatty session that covers Rubin's later producing projects such as the excellent The Narrow Margin, relationship advice, the inner workings of RKO, his eventual jump to 20th Century Fox... and of course Macao itself, including a few stories from the set but not much about some of its more turbulent on-set developments. Jane Russell is also edited in via archival interviews in which she talks about her character and costumes, wisely keeping her comments mostly light. Overall, it's a great way to spend 81 minutes... and even worth listening to again, if you first heard it on DVD 20 years ago.

• Private Screenings (30:17) - A 1996 installment of TCM's long-running program, likewise included on the previous DVD edition, that features Robert Mitchum sitting alongside Jane Russell with hosting duties by Robert Osborne. Both share some great stories about the film and their career in general, with Mitchum predictably starting off in a combative mood before settling in. Likewise, this one's well worth sitting through.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:43) - This vintage promotional piece has obviously seen better days... but given the extreme rarity of surviving RKO trailers, something's always better than nothing.

Macao Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Josef von Sternberg's Macao begins like a travelogue of its titular territory, slowly morphs into a lightweight romantic drama, and eventually ends up being a full-fledged film noir... and like His Kind of Woman before it, feels like a simple excuse to get Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell together on screen. Again, the end result isn't exactly bulletproof but it's still entertaining, thanks to its exotic flair and cast chemistry, and it even earns bonus points for brevity. Ultimately, this is a decent little excursion and Warner Archive's new Blu-ray serves up ample support including another top-tier restoration and two retrospective DVD-era featurettes that are well worth your time. Recommended.