Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection DVD Credits:

Region: 1

Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection DVD Release Date: 23rd January 2007

Our Rating: Extras Rating:

User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection DVD Review:

Angel Face (1952)
This painful noir may drive you crazy if all you hope for is a happy ending. Robert Mitchum is Frank Jessup, a poor schmuck who allows himself to be seduced by a wicked rich girl played by Jean Simmons, despite the fact that he is engaged. Jessup works as an ambulance driver ever since his racing career went south, and when he gets a call to a possible suicide/murder attempt, he meets Diane Tremayne. Diane tears him away from his fiancé and gets him involved in a troubling family quarrel involving Diane’s step-mother. No likable character looks too well at by the end of the film, though some may like the dark noir. The DVD contains a commentary track by film historian Eddie Muller, who specializes in film noir.

Macao (1952)
Paired with yet another female with attitude, this time played by Jane Russell, Mitchum stars as a man caught in a web of danger and intrigue while visiting Macao, an East Asian port. After attention is brought to the island when an investigation about stolen diamonds ends in a death Mitchum is mistaken for a detective sent to the island undercover. Whether he is a cop or not he finds himself in danger with only his trusty female partner to help him out. There is more humor in Macao than you might expect, but not nearly enough suspense. The DVD comes with a commentary track that has Jane Russell, screenwriter Stanley Rubin, and film historian Eddie Muller. There is also a segment from a TCM special with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell hosted by Robert Osborne.

Home From the Hill (1959)
Family melodramas are around every decade but they were a particularly popular sub-genre in the 1950s and 1960s, and this one has it all. Mitchum stars as the father of the family, a rich and well respected man in the community. Wade Hunnicutt is a name known throughout town. He is the best hunter around and the worst adulterer. Wives all over town have had affairs with him except for his wife, who only stays with him because of their son, a sensitive young boy who knows nothing about the wilderness. Although Mitchum is the star of the film it is the brother aspect of the film which is the most engaging. All of the performances are fantastic. The DVD has a theatrical trailer.

The Sundowners (1960)
As cheerful as the demeanor of the family may be for most of the film, there are some difficult scenes of drama mixed in as well. It almost seems as if the novel by Jon Cleary is made to seem much lighter for the viewer’s sake. The result is a cheerful look at a drunken sheepherder dragging his family across the outback for fear of settling down. Mitchum is devastating and charming as the stubborn drunkard Paddy and Deborah Kerr play his wife Ida, who desperately wants to settle down on a farm with their son, but in order to do that they must wok in a sheep shearing camp to save money. The DVD contains a trailer and a vintage featurette.

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969)
This is the grumpy old men of westerns with Mitchum as James Flagg, a legendary lawman who everyone thinks is past his prime. On the other side of the law is George Kennedy as an old-timer bad guy, who is good enough to help Flagg stop a cold-blooded killer, played by David Carradine. It’s mostly just silly western fun, but there are a few scenes of good humor and a little bit of action worth seeing. The DVD offers a widescreen version of the film which hasn’t been available before as well as a vintage featurette.

Yakuza (1975)
This time Mitchum is former private eye Harry Kilmer. Kilmer goes to Tokyo as a favor to a friend and while he is there he visits an old flame and a man who owes Kilmer his life. There is plenty of melodrama in this steady paced thriller written by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) and Robert Towne (Chinatown). Sydney Pollack directs. There are a couple of great fight scenes and a somewhat slow-paced set up to get there. The DVD has a commentary by director Sydney Pollack and a vintage featurette.

Our Rating: Extras Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

Robert Mitchum - The Signature Collection DVD review written by: Ryan Izay