The Films of Josef von Sternberg

The Salvation Hunters

A Woman of the Sea

Underworld

The Last Command

The Dragnet

The Docks of New York

The Case of Lena Smith

Thunderbolt

The Blue Angel

Morocco

Dishonored

An American Tragedy

Shanghai Express

Blonde Venus

The Scarlet Empress

The Fashion Side of Hollywood

The Devil Is a Woman

Crime and Punishment

The King Steps Out

Sergeant Madden

The Shanghai Gesture

The Town

Macao (January 27/07)

Macao casts Robert Mitchum as Nick Cochran, an exiled American who arrives in the title country looking for a fresh start - though it's not long before he finds himself embroiled in a variety of local affairs (Jane Russell co-stars as Mitchum's sultry love interest, while Brad Dexter plays a local mobster). Despite the inclusion of some expectedly hard-bitten bits of dialogue (ie after being told that diamonds would "only cheapen" her, a character remarks, "yeah, but what a way to be cheapened"), Macao primarily comes off as a slow-paced, thoroughly dull piece of work that is utterly unable to engage or involve the viewer on any level. The talky and pointless vibe is exacerbated by director Josef von Sternberg's wholly underwhelming visuals, though the filmmaker does elevate the proceedings - albeit temporarily - with a fairly thrilling foot chase in the movie's third act. There are few other positive elements to be found within Macao, although fans of Mitchum will undoubtedly want to check the movie out if only for the actor's atypically loose performance.

out of

Ana-ta-han

Jet Pilot