Robert Mitchum’s adventurer is ensnared by Jane Russell’s nightclub chanteuse in a thriller shot by Josef von Sternberg, partially re-shot by Nicholas Ray, and futzed around by über-producer Howard Hughes. Does boast an exotic atmosphere.

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.