Macao (1952)

Intro.

In films, a "meet-cute" is the point in a story where two characters meet for the first time.  It's usually applied to romantic comedies.  Eli Wallach in the film The Holiday gives an example.  To paraphrase: suppose a man and a woman are both in need of pajamas, so they both go to the same men's department store.  The woman says she just needs a top; the man says he only needs bottoms.  They look at each other and that's it.  I have to say, even though the 1952 film Macao isn't a standout classic, it definitely has one of the funniest meet-cutes.  Onboard a ship heading for Macao, Jane Russell is in her cabin with a man she's trying to fend off.  She throws her shoe at him, but he ducks and the shoe goes right through the porthole and hits Robert Mitchum in the head as he's walking by.  He goes into the cabin with the shoe, sees Jane Russell, and that's it - a great meet-cute!

Overview

Cinderella jokes aside, Macao is really a film noir.  It opens on a ship bound for Macao, a place notorious for being 3 miles outside of police jurisdiction.  Headed there is nightclub singer Julie Benson (Jane Russell) and ex-GI Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum).  Benson is short on money, so not only does she land a job at a local bar, but she picks Cochran's wallet.  He in turn gets stopped by the police, but she returns the money before he's arrested.  Meanwhile, Cochran teams up with another passenger, who gets him a job as an undercover special agent investigating a crime ring that just so happens to be run by Julie's new boss.  What follows is a web of crime, deceit and a blossoming romance between Nick and Julie.  Nick sets out to get Julie's boss, Lawrence Trumble, to take him on as a hired hand.  The idea is to get Lawrence to leave the safety of Macao and go to Hong Kong for some missing jewels so that the authorities can arrest him.  But the best laid plans often go awry, and after a shooting and a thrilling fight on Trumble's ship just shy of the 3 mile mark, the film comes to an end that's typical noir, though a bit happier.

Highlights

Both Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell give good, solid performances.  While not a standout film, it is nonetheless enjoyable and much of that is due to their chemistry.  This was their second film together, the first being His Kind of Woman, which is more of a noir parody.  As many reviewers on IMDb have said (and you should read those write-ups - they are much better than mine!), Macao is kind of a lighter film noir.  It is still "good triumphs over evil" rather than in some of Bogart's films or Mitchum's Out of the Past, where morality is an issue and the good and bad characters are hard to tell apart.   

Aside from that, the story was easier to follow than some noirs, partly because the script was so confusing, Robert Mitchum helped rewrite it as they filmed.  Also worth mentioning is Jane Russell's fabulous singing.  She does "One for My Baby" and the ironically named "You Kill Me."  She is quickly becoming one of my new favorite actresses.  Gloria Grahame is also featured in the film, though not in a leading role.  She nevertheless turns in a great performance as Margie, a woman you both love and hate.  You'll probably recognize Grahame from some of her other work, but for me she'll always be Violet from It's a Wonderful Life.  Overall, a good cast.

Review and Recommendation
Macao is an enjoyable film - it's easy to follow with enough suspense and romance to make for a good lighter film noir.  I recommend it to fans of Russell and/or Mitchum, and would say that it's a good film.  Not great, not horrible, but always entertaining.