"His Kind of Woman" may well be the longest "film noire" feature. Running at 120 minutes (it was cut from a longer running time), it's at least 30 minutes longer than most films of this genre. Perhaps the fact that it was a Howard Hughes production may explain it.
The story has down and out gambler Dan Milner (Robert Mithum) being approached with a proposition that could make him a cool $50,000. He isn't told what he will have to do to earn this money only that he will have to leave the country for a year. He is told to go to a Mexican resort called Morro's Lodge where he will be given further instructions. On the way he meets the gold digging Lenore Brent (Jane Russell) who as it turns out is also heading for the lodge to try and snare rich hammy movie star Mark Cardigan (Vincent Price).
Milner doesn't find out what he is supposed to do until the film is half over. Federal Immigration agent Bill Lusk (Tim Holt) informs him that deported gangster Nick Ferraro (Raymond Burr) will be assuming his identity in order to gain re-entry to the USA.
The first and final third of the film move along quite nicely, although the middle portion tends to be too long. The elements of "film noire" are all present i.e. dark shadows, high ceilings, gritty close ups, night scenes etc. Missing however, is the usual "femme fatale" who usually appears in these films to destroy the hero. Russell's character isn't really a "femme fatale" in the noire sense, she's more of a "soldier of fortune". In 1951 Hollywood they had to clean up her act, so they go to great lengths to inform us that she is really a "good girl".
The film had been mostly completed under the direction of John Farrow with Robert J. Wilke playing the gangster Ferraro when Howard Hughes intervened. He brought in a new director, Richard Fleischer, and re cast the role of Ferraro with Raymond Burr. They then re-shot all of Ferraro's scenes with Burr and the ending climax. Much of the violence in the first two thirds of the film is off screen. Not so with the ending. Mitchum has to endure a brutal beating at the hands of Anthony Carouso as well as, an almost injection of a substance that will turn him into a vegetable and be fatal within a year. There are also several on screen deaths as a part of the climax where Price and company board Ferraro's yacht.
This film boasts an excellent cast. Mitchum is the sleepy eyed hero who really doesn't know what's going on but, he does get to take his shirt off. Russell although very beautiful, is merely window dressing here. In fact she gets locked in a closet and misses the entire climax of the film. It seems that the producers were most interested in covering up her ample cleavage to appease the censors. Price steals the film as the hammy actor. His frequent quoting of lines from Shakespeare and over the top performance is quite amusing.
Also in the cast is Charles McGraw (what would a "film noire" be without McGraw), Marjorie Reynolds as Price's estranged wife, Jim Backus as a gambler, Philip Van Zandt as Morro the owner of the lodge and John Mylong as Ferarro's creepy doctor Krafft.
It's interesting to note that Mitchum was signed in 1944 to take over Tim Holt's RKO "B" western series while the latter was in the service. Mitchum actually made two films in the series before graduating to "A" level features with "The Story of G.I. Joe" (1945). Holt returned to the series in 1947 and was still working in it when this film was made.
The story has down and out gambler Dan Milner (Robert Mithum) being approached with a proposition that could make him a cool $50,000. He isn't told what he will have to do to earn this money only that he will have to leave the country for a year. He is told to go to a Mexican resort called Morro's Lodge where he will be given further instructions. On the way he meets the gold digging Lenore Brent (Jane Russell) who as it turns out is also heading for the lodge to try and snare rich hammy movie star Mark Cardigan (Vincent Price).
Milner doesn't find out what he is supposed to do until the film is half over. Federal Immigration agent Bill Lusk (Tim Holt) informs him that deported gangster Nick Ferraro (Raymond Burr) will be assuming his identity in order to gain re-entry to the USA.
The first and final third of the film move along quite nicely, although the middle portion tends to be too long. The elements of "film noire" are all present i.e. dark shadows, high ceilings, gritty close ups, night scenes etc. Missing however, is the usual "femme fatale" who usually appears in these films to destroy the hero. Russell's character isn't really a "femme fatale" in the noire sense, she's more of a "soldier of fortune". In 1951 Hollywood they had to clean up her act, so they go to great lengths to inform us that she is really a "good girl".
The film had been mostly completed under the direction of John Farrow with Robert J. Wilke playing the gangster Ferraro when Howard Hughes intervened. He brought in a new director, Richard Fleischer, and re cast the role of Ferraro with Raymond Burr. They then re-shot all of Ferraro's scenes with Burr and the ending climax. Much of the violence in the first two thirds of the film is off screen. Not so with the ending. Mitchum has to endure a brutal beating at the hands of Anthony Carouso as well as, an almost injection of a substance that will turn him into a vegetable and be fatal within a year. There are also several on screen deaths as a part of the climax where Price and company board Ferraro's yacht.
This film boasts an excellent cast. Mitchum is the sleepy eyed hero who really doesn't know what's going on but, he does get to take his shirt off. Russell although very beautiful, is merely window dressing here. In fact she gets locked in a closet and misses the entire climax of the film. It seems that the producers were most interested in covering up her ample cleavage to appease the censors. Price steals the film as the hammy actor. His frequent quoting of lines from Shakespeare and over the top performance is quite amusing.
Also in the cast is Charles McGraw (what would a "film noire" be without McGraw), Marjorie Reynolds as Price's estranged wife, Jim Backus as a gambler, Philip Van Zandt as Morro the owner of the lodge and John Mylong as Ferarro's creepy doctor Krafft.
It's interesting to note that Mitchum was signed in 1944 to take over Tim Holt's RKO "B" western series while the latter was in the service. Mitchum actually made two films in the series before graduating to "A" level features with "The Story of G.I. Joe" (1945). Holt returned to the series in 1947 and was still working in it when this film was made.