A classic good versus evil western tale, between Robert Mitchum and Robert Preston, by the director of West Side Story.

A real noir Western. When a film features a line like “I always wanted to shoot one of you. He was the handiest…” you know you’re looking at a movie whose influence reached as far and wide as the plains that fill the screen so majestically.

THE PLOT

Unemployed ranch-hand Jim Garry (Robert Mitchum) rides into a small New Mexico town, answering a call for help from his old compadre Tate Rilling (Robert Preston). Rilling needs a talented gun at his side when a money-making scheme begins to turn nasty, and the taciturn Garry is just the man to help. Of course, things are never that simple in the Old West, and it soon becomes clear that Rilling’s life is in danger for a darn good reason.

DIRECTOR: ROBERT WISE

The late director Robert Wise had a knack for creating classics in all the genres of cinema he explored. The Haunting is still one of the scariest horror movies around, and West Side Story is still considered one of the finest pieces of musical cinema ever. It’s no surprise then, that Wise’s Blood and the Moon still stands tall as a tense, thought-provoking example of the Western genre.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

“Lillie Hayward's screen play, taken from a novel by Luke Short, is solidly constructed and by not over-emphasizing Jim Garry's inherent honesty, she has permitted Mr. Mitchum to illuminate a character that is reasonable and most always interesting. …

And a word should be said, too, for the direction by Robert Wise. A comparative newcomer to the directorial ranks, he has managed to keep the atmosphere of this leisurely paced film charged with impending violence.” - New York Times

“Blood on the Moon is a terse, tightly-drawn western drama. There's none of the formula approach to its story telling.” - Variety