Macao (1952)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

What an array of names Howard Hughes was able to assemble. True, the director, Josef von Sternberg hadn't made a movie in years but he'd once wreathed Marlene Dietrich in mystery. The performers, aside from Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell, then at the top of their popularity, include just about every character actor or supporting player one might wish for -- William Bendix, Brad Dexter as the bad guy, Gloria Grahame, Thomas Gomez, and the immortal Philip Ahn, everyone's Asian.Yet the movie is hardly watchable due to a plot that is strictly routine, a stage-bound Portugese port off Hong Kong, and a general air of lassitude projected by the hefty Mitchum. It's one of those roles he more or less sleepwalks through.But the chief disadvantage of this exotic crime drama is the story itself. It could have been a leftover B script that had hidden in the back of some producer's drawer since 1935. If Chester Morris had been used instead of Mitchum, the title might have been, "Boston Blackie Goes to Macao." Gloria Grahame has never looked better, however. Her role of a casino girl is almost devoid of importance. Jane Russel looks like she's enjoying herself. She usually looked that way. Mitchum looks as if he'd rather be in bed.It doesn't jell. Too bad.

In the chaos that followed the end of World War 11, places that fell outside the jurisdiction of international law became havens for all sorts of mysterious travellers such as, fugitives from justice, displaced persons and of course, the types of criminals who could best exploit these locations for their own purposes. The Portuguese colony of Macao, which lay to the south of Hong Kong, was one of these places and provides the setting for this movie in which adventure, romance and mistaken identities feature strongly.After recently having been involved in the murder of an undercover cop from New York City, local crime boss Vincent Halloran (Brad Dexter) expects another undercover officer to arrive in Macao to carry on where his predecessor left off. When a steamer from Hong Kong arrives at the port, corrupt police Lieutenant Sebastian (Thomas Gomez), who's on Halloran's payroll, watches with interest while three Americans have their entry documents checked. The three people in question are, Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum), an ex-serviceman with no passport, out-of-work nightclub singer Julie Benson (Jane Russell) and travelling salesman, Lawrence C Trumble (William Bendix). Sebastian allows Nick Cochran to enter Macao despite not having a passport and reports back to Halloran about the new arrivals and his belief that Nick is the undercover detective that they've been expecting.Nick and Julie had struck up a certain rapport after having met on the steamer and so Halloran hires Julie as a singer for his casino with the intention of using her to find out more about Nick. Halloran also offers Nick money to leave Macao but he's more interested in staying to develop his relationship with Julie. The jovial Lawrence Trumble deals in a diverse range of items including nylon stockings, fertiliser and coconut oil and one day offers Nick $10,000 to sell a stolen diamond necklace to Halloran. After Halloran sees a diamond taken from the necklace, he agrees to travel to Hong Kong to complete the deal even though doing so would mean travelling through international waters where he would run the risk of being arrested.Halloran, who recognises that the necklace is one that he'd previously stolen, has Nick kidnapped. Nick then escapes with the assistance of Halloran's girlfriend Margie (Gloria Grahame) who's very bitter about Halloran's obvious attraction to Julie and a series of further complications then follow before Halloran's decision to travel to Hong Kong leads to the story's exciting conclusion.Many of the characters in "Macao" are disloyal and very readily betray any trust placed in them. Some examples involve Halloran who's disloyal to his mistress (Margie) who reciprocates by transferring her loyalty to Nick. Lieutenant Sebastian has no integrity at all and his loyalty is always ready to be transferred to the highest bidder. Similarly, Julie, who was broke when she left Hong Kong, used her looks to sucker a sleazy stranger into sponsoring her trip to Macao, but then when the arrangement started to become uncomfortable dumped him with the help of Nick, who she rewarded by stealing his money and throwing his passport and wallet into the sea!! Treachery on this scale is probably no surprise in a location that's a magnet for people who want to escape their pasts or enjoy unregulated gambling but what's more unexpected is the rather playful tone of the whole movie where banter, wisecracks and witticisms are the norm. Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell both excel in their roles but are unquestionably at their most effective and charismatic in their scenes together. Brad Dexter, Gloria Grahame and William Bendix also do well in their important supporting roles.

Following the success of "The Big Steal" and "His Kind of Woman", RKO decided to make a very, very similar sort of film with many of the same actors--hoping to once again hit it big in the box office. Robert Mitchum starred in all these films and they took his co-stars from these films (William Bendix and Jane Russell) and tossed in the same sort of story. Because of this, it's pretty easy to mix this film up with the others--I know I did after seeing all three. Now this is NOT to say that "Macao" is a bad film--it's just a case where there wasn't a whole lot that was terribly original. Once again, Mitchum is in a foreign land and has a vague and possibly shady past and once again he's dealing with underworld figures.The film begins with the three stars about to arrive in the Portuguese colony of Macao. Oddly, however, no one seems the least bit Portuguese! Anyway, Russell lifts Mitchum's wallet--making it hard for him to gain admittance to the city or afford to stay there. So, eventually Mitchum and Russell hook up with a mobster (Brad Dexter) and you never know at the time whether Mitchum is a crook, a wannabe crook, a cop or just some noble guy. And, like the previous films, by the end, Mitchum gets the girl, defeats evil and lives happily ever after...just like his other films.Good acting but a retread from start to finish. It's well worth watching but just doesn't meet the standards of the other films.

Macao is a great city. I think that the best way to know more about Macao is to see http://www.macacoenter.com. you can find great Macao travel stuff.Many of the area's historic attractions are concentrated towards the centre of the peninsula, but the city's unique cultural atmosphere exists throughout. This atmosphere has been created by the area's special ability to blend the European and Oriental cultures of its citizens. The Ruins of St Paul's is the symbol of Macau, and Monte Fort overlooks most of Macau from its high vantage point and central position. The three ancient temples in Macau are the A-ma Temple with a history of over 500 years, the most famous and impressive Kun Iam Temple, and one of the finest temples in Macau - Lin Fung Temple. The financial success of the region is due largely to the influx of tourists who come here to visit and to play in Macau's most famous sites - the Casinos.