DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

mark.waltz There's terrific pretty much everything in this exotic film noir where Robert Mitchum does detective work, Jane Russell does vocal work, and William Bendix does wisecrack work. Unfortunately, you get to know as much about quiet Mitchum that you do about the fiery Jane and the bombastic Bill. This is mostly set on a cruiser from Hong Kong to Macao where Mitchum tries to break up a crime ring and finds all sorts of trouble along the way. Exotic settings and non stop action don't really create a fleshed out plot, and for the three stars (and a decent supporting cast), it's a disappointing entry in the career of the legendary Josef Von Sternberg. There are many great moments, but moments do not add up to a great film no matter how exciting they are. Highlights include Russell singing several songs (most notably "One For My Baby") and Mitchum playing cat and mouse with the bad guys. Gloria Grahame has a truly pointless supporting role, coming in a very busy year for her, but she's not even substantial to the story even with prominent billing. The performances are all decent, but there's little history or motivation given to their characters which is the real reason I consider this one a let down. Considering the time that this was made at RKO, it's obvious that scripts were being rushed out with little regards to detail, and this suffers from being a complete missed opportunity.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . the men of America enjoyed the next best thing, films from a movie studio called RKO. This outfit was controlled by an odd chap named Howard Hughes, who saved his urine in bottles. When Hughes was not busy paying water bills, he used his background as an aeronautics design pioneer to engineer the better brassiere, most especially to display buxom actress Jane Russell's twin assets. Maidenform based the most distinctive lingerie ad campaign of the 1900s by channeling Ms. Russell's reveries, which all began something like "Once I was a hooker\singer\thief in bawdy MACAO, thanks to my Hughes 767 . . . " So as not to detract from the undergarments on parade, RKO wove "movies" such as MACAO around the thinnest of plots, and cast the stiffest of actors this side of those ancient cigar store wooden Indian carvings (such as Robert Mitchum and William Bendix in MACAO). Fortunately, in today's more enlightened times, we can enjoy our Angels and FURIOUS 7s, 8s, and 9s separately.

grandpagbm This is a good film. The dialog sounds like crime movies of the 1940's, but the script is very good. The performances by Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, and William Bendix are excellent. Russell sings a couple of songs, very well, and is drop-dead gorgeous, in the role of a torch singer. Gloria Grahame has a supporting femme fatale role, similar to many she played in the 1940's and 1950's, and she always did a good job. The movie opens with a documentary-like description of Macao, assuming audiences would not know much, if anything, about the island and its location (which probably was true). It's a good adventure/crime story, done in black-and-white, which works well, since most of the action takes place at night. I will enjoy watching this film often.

ccthemovieman-1 I'm still waiting to discover a good movie in which Jane Russell starred. I haven't seen one yet. If you know of one, let me know. Best as I can tell, Howard Hughes tried to make her a star for two reasons: her breasts. It couldn't have been for her acting ability or that her presence would enhance a quality film. Those just didn't happen. Her films were a bust (pun intended.)You would think it would be almost impossible to shoot a boring film that also included Robert Mitchum, William Bendix, Thomas Gomez and Gloria Grahame....but here it is! The screen time of Bendix and Grahame are woefully small, otherwise this might have been more interesting. The other (lead) characters in this movie are simply not people you care about.The fault of this movie, in addition to unlikeable lead characters, is that it simply isn't entertaining. It's dull, folks, almost as drab as it gets. What a shame. It sure didn't have to be with that cast. Mitchum and Bendix were fun to watch in "The Big Steal," but the only steal in this film is your money to buy or rent this movie. I love film noir, and I liked the exotic setting in here, but this story is so bad I hate to even classify it in that genre (noir). Director Josef Von Sternberg was at the end of his career....and it shows. In fact, he didn't finish this movie. They had to call in Nicholas Ray to do that. This film, in a way, was a poor man's "Morocco," I say "poor man" because Jane Russell was no Marlene Dietrich and "Macao" is no "Morocco."The only saving grace is that the running time is short. You only have to suffer for 81 minutes. I wouldn't even recommend that.