Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 5, 2019

Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, the lightweight and (mostly) enjoyable Bronco Billy ranks among his personal favorite career performances. It's not hard to see why: our title character serves as the headstrong leader of a traveling Wild West show; a hero to young fans ("little pardners") and one who adheres to good old-fashioned values, sexual harrassment, and an honest day's work. He's also the self-proclaimed "fastest gun in the West", frequently thrilling audiences with expert trick shots while riding horseback. Billy's ragtag group of skilled performers -- a Native American snake-dancing couple (Dan Vadis and Sierra Pecheur), a cowboy who does rope tricks (Sam Bottoms), and ringmaster Doc Lynch (Scatman Crothers) -- are loyal to "the head ramrod" and have been years...but unfortunately, Billy's pretty assistants keep quitting. (Most recently, after a blindfolded knife-throwing trick goes awry.) Soon enough, the crowds have almost completely dried up and we find out that Billy's clan hasn't been paid a dime in several months.

Ever the optimist but unwilling to accept complaints, Billy assures the troops that brighter days are ahead. His chance encounter with pretty young Antoinette Lily (Sondra Locke) at a tour stop seems promising, but there's two problems: (1) she's only in town to marry John Arlington (Geoffrey Lewis), and (2) is apparently a cold, heartless witch. Car trouble leaves the couple stranded -- conveniently adjacent to the Wild West show's tent -- but John abruptly leaves town with all her money the next day after finally having enough of that attitude. A beggar but still kind of a chooser, Antoinette is reluctantly talked into being the latest (and hopefully greatest) temporary assistant in "Bronco Billy's Wild West Show". Are her good looks and fiery attitude just what the group needs, or is it all downhill from here?

It's mostly the latter, but that actually ends up being a big part of Bronco Billy's dated but palpable charm. Eastwood and the late Sandra Locke -- who worked together on several films including The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet, Every Which Way But Loose, and Sudden Impact (and were also in the middle of a long off-camera relationship that, to put it mildly, did not end well) -- have undeniably good on-screen chemistry and it's their turbulent, occasionally tender interactions that carry most of the film's weight and lasting interest. Unfortunately, there's not much else here. The rest of "Team Billy" is woefully underwritten, with a few belated and paper-thin attempts at character development during the film's third act that just scream too little, too late. Antoinette's MIA husband returns much later and, combined with a poorly developed subplot involving her rich parents, barely even registers on an emotionally worthwhile level. Pacing problems abound, with a particularly bad scene involving a desperate train robbery that compromises viewer sympathy for our otherwise stand-up heroes and, worse yet, is played as more of a joke when it doesn't work out.

In hindsight, that sounds like an awful long laundry list of complaints for a movie that I mostly ended up enjoying. Despite its fundamental flaws, Bronco Billy keeps its head above water on the strength of magnetic lead performances and a spontaneous, episodic flow that survives more than a few speed bumps. The journey isn't always perfect, and neither is the destination -- but within the wild and wiry boundaries of Bronco Billy's own universe, everything kind of makes sense. Warner Archive Collection's new Blu-ray edition aims to overtake their parent company's DVD from almost 20 years ago -- and in almost every category, this is a landslide victory. It's an easy recommendation for die-hard Eastwood fans but, for obvious reasons, maybe not the strongest blind buy for everyone else.

Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from Warner Archive Collection's recent 2K scan of an interpositive, Bronco Billy rides onto Blu-ray with a terrific 1080p transfer that easily outpaces their parent company's almost 20-year-old DVD (no surprise there). Billy's circus-like Wild West show, although limited to just a few bright lights inside the large canvas tent, provides some great visuals and stands in good contrast with the more warm and evenly-lit outdoor sequences. In both instances, there are mild amounts of blooming in a handful of scenes; this is more likely due to overexposed elements in the original cinematography than artificial contrast boosting. Similarly, I also noticed a few instances of softness during the indoor Merle Haggard performance, which again appears to be baked into the source material (likely a focus issue). Even so, the large majority of what's here looks great: image detail, especially in bright sunlight, is often quite stunning, from clothing texture to signage and other weathered surfaces. Skin tones and the film's typically earth-toned color palette are dead-on, while shadow details and black levels are similarly strong without displaying any obvious signs of crush. Aliasing, banding, and other such anomalies were also nowhere to be found. Bronco Billy aims for a naturalistic, rough-and-rugged atmosphere and Warner Archive's Blu-ray transfer is certainly up to the challenge in every respect.

Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the DTS-HD 2.0 (Mono) Master Audio mix does a fine job with the limited source material. Quiet moments and louder, overlapping conversations are handled well with very few balancing issues. The dynamic range is suitably impressive with no apparent clipping at the high end, even during rowdier moments like an extended bar brawl and Billy's impromptu gunshots. There's obviously not much directionality given the lack of discrete channel placement, aside from "wider" examples like an attempted train robbery, bustling crowd scenes, or vehicle drive-bys. The bulk of Bronco Billy is low-key and often shot inside closed quarters, so the best compliment I can give this audio presentation is that it accurately recreates the film's atmosphere with no defects, drop-outs, or obvious sync issues.

Optional English (SDH) subtitle have been included during the main feature. Like most recent Warner Archive Collection releases, these player-generated subtitles are annoyingly formatted in ALL CAPS...but they're white instead of yellow and make use of a slightly smaller, more readable font. Please refer to screenshot #24 for an example.

Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bronco Billy was last released on DVD by Warner Bros. back in the year 2000. No extras were included, save for text-only talent files for select cast and crew members, so at least we get a trailer this time around.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:41) - Also available on Warner Bros.' official YouTube channel if you haven't seen it. This is a charming piece that captures the film's spirit without giving away too many important plot points.

Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although far from a hidden gem in Clint Eastwood's vast filmography as both a writer and director, Bronco Billy is nonetheless a somewhat charming and enjoyable little adventure that's rarely talked about. Eastwood's title character carries almost all of the weight here, and his interactions with the late, great Sondra Locke (as the equally stubborn Antoinette Lily) largely get better as the film chugs along. Sadly, there's not much else to write home about: the pacing is problematic, many of the supporting characters are barely developed, and the equally undercooked subplot about Antoinette's parents and husband hardly even registers. Still, the remaining elements are often entertaining and mesh well with Billy's travelling road show mentality; it's very episodic and changes tones often, but that's not always a bad thing. Warner Archive's Blu-ray easily outshines their parent company's old DVD, mainly by way of an impressive A/V restoration. Recommended for die-hard Eastwood fans, but newcomers might want to try before they buy.