Product Details

• Actors: Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan, Phyllis Thaxter
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: March 24, 1993
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301766180
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,265 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mitchum Western, April 22, 2005

By 

Terence Allen (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blood on the Moon [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Blood On The Moon is a western done right - a stalwart, tough-as-nails hero, a low-down, dastardly villain, a strong woman who loves the hero in spite of his faults and failings, and a great supporting cast.

Mitchum plays Jim Garry, a cowboy who great with a gun, who's brought to town by Tate Riling, played by Robert Preston. Riling is leading a fight against a cattleman who is expanding his turf, and moving a large herd of cattle through the town. Ostensibly, Riling is protecting the interest of the smaller ranchers in the area, but he shares with Garry his dark secret, which is that he is conspiring to force the rancher into selling all of his herd to himself at a bargain price. He needs good gunhands, which is why he called for Garry.

Garry goes along with the plan at first, but when he gets to know the rancher's youngest daughter, played by Barbara Bel Geddes, and when he sees the human cost of Riling's plan, as reflected by the loss of life incurred by the ranchers following Riling, Garry backs out, and the real war is on.

Mitchum is stalwart, Preston is evil, Bel Geddes is believably smart and tough as the young daughter, and Walter Brennan is his usual reliable self as a rancher who loses his son partnering with Preston. This is one of Mitchum's very best, and deserves to be on DVD as soon as possible.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cowboy Noir, December 4, 2001

By 

Douglas Doepke (Claremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood on the Moon [VHS] (VHS Tape)

At a time when Hollywood was turning out dozens of urban noirs like Force of Evil, European expressionism's moody style reached into even that most American of genres -- the Western. Films like Pursued, Roughshod, and Blood on the Moon, all contain strong elements of noir, particularly in the use of light and shadow. Though conventional in most repects, darkening landscapes nonetheless erupt in this film like some sinster version of John Ford's sunny pictorialism, while shadows creep menacingly across claustrophobic exteriors. No one is to be trusted. And in the middle of the murk lurks that icon of noirish ambiguity -- Robert Mitchum, fitting easily into the peculiarly passive role of saddle tramp caught in the middle of a range war. As could be expected, Robert Preston's aggressive villian makes a charming foil to the laid-back Mitchum; with Barbara Bel Geddes in an unusually strong female role. Overall, however, the movie represents an uneasy blend of outstanding location photography with shabby sound stage settings. The film really works best as a document of its time for those movie historians interested in the evolution of styles.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Western Flim Noir, December 3, 2010

By 

K. Cooper (Phila. area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood on the Moon [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - France ] (DVD)

In looking at the entire film noir genre, no doubt Robert Mitchum is one of the all time Film Noir Leading Men. He also made a fair amount of westerns so he's the obvious choice for the Film Noir/Western "Blood on the Moon". Director Robert Wise is a very accomplished director comfortable in many styles and there is very good support from Barbara Bel Geddes (later of TV's "Dallas" and who always is good)) and Robert Preston.
To date, this original and unique film is not available on DVD or blu-ray and it is a great mystery why not. Fans of film noir, westerns, Mitchum and the rest of the talent here will surely enjoy this.