Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Chato's Land Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 20, 2021

Michael Winner's "Chato's Land" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include archival video interview with screenwriter Gerald Wilson; exclusive new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The posse

Robert Ryan is one of my all-time favorite American actors, and I think that he would have been an incredible addition to the cast of Chato’s Land. But at the time when screenwriter Gerald Wilson reached out to see if he might be interested in working with him and director Michael Winner, Ryan was already too weak to do the role the former had in mind for him. (A year later, in 1973, Ryan died of cancer). He could not ride a horse, throw himself on the ground, or even look as tough as the rest of the actors do in Chato’s Land. Wilson confirms all of this in a very interesting archival interview that is included on this release, and for hours after I viewed Kino Lorber’s new 2K restoration of Chato’s Land, I could not stop thinking just how much more atmospheric it would have been with Ryan playing one of the baddies. There was something very, very special about Ryan’s appearance and especially his face, and the older he got, the easier it became for the camera to appreciate and reveal it. It is very difficult for me to explain precisely what the “it” was. All I can say is that it was something that instantly made the characters Ryan played look authentic. It did not matter if he was cast to appear in a war drama (Men in War), a brutal film noir (The Set-Up), or an unorthodox western (Day of the Outlaw). He always looked great, and his characters were awfully difficult to forget.

Now, I don’t want to create the impression that there is a huge void in Chato’s Land that only Ryan could have filled. I think that as it is, the cast is enormously impressive. Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, Richard Jordan, Victor French, Simon Oakland, Ralph Waite, and William Watson. This isn’t a random cast, folks, which is precisely why Wilson’s recollections of how these men were brought together are so interesting. There was a crystal-clear concept of what type of film Chato’s Land should be, meaning how it ought to look, how it ought to move, and who the right actors were to make all of the action and drama in it appear legit. I think that Ryan would have made Chato’s Land a masterpiece, but only if Winner had shot it five, maybe six years earlier, when the great actor was still healthy. This is a crucial detail that my mind was obviously ignoring immediately after I was done viewing the new 2K restoration of Chato’s Land.

The current atmosphere of Chato’s Land is still pretty great, too. In a lousy bar somewhere in New Mexico, a half-breed (Bronson) kills a prejudiced sheriff before he puts a bullet in his head and shortly after becomes a target for a big posse of bloodthirsty vigilantes. Initially, it seems like it is only a matter of time before the half-breed is captured and hanged, but when he lures them into a remote desert region, the hunters suddenly become the hunted.

Bronson looks great in this film, but as odd as it may sound, he does not spend a lot of time before the camera. Also, he utters only a couple of lines. Of course, this is all done by design because the real star of the film is Mother Nature, whose beauty and destructive power are on full display. So, the pursuit of vengeance that is at the heart of the film has a dual meaning -- on one hand there is the conflict between Bronson and the vigilantes and all the drama that is fueled by it, and on the other hand there is the conflict between Mother Nature and those that foolishly choose to disrespect it.

Winner directs with great confidence and precision, but the film does not look tightly controlled. In fact, the exact opposite is true. As the vigilantes begin tracking down Bronson in the desert region, it feels like anything can happen. The fluid nature of the hunt and the fantastic visuals create a truly special atmosphere.

Assisted by cinematographer Robert Paynter, Winner shot virtually the entire film shot on location in Spain’s Almeria region, which is where some of the greatest spaghetti westerns were produced.

Chato's Land Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Chato's Land arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I was quite pleased with the technical presentation. The release is sourced from a new 2K master that was prepared exclusively for it, and while there are some areas that could have been a bit more convincing, I think that the overall appearance of the film is very, very attractive. Delineation, clarity, and depth are either good or very good, in some areas even easy to describe as excellent. Some of the minor fluctuations are introduced by the original cinematography, but there are a few spots where density levels could and should have been better. (A 4K master with a superior grain field would have ensured this exact improvement). Color balance is convincing too, though once again from time to time some of the blacks can look a bit crushed. There are no stability issues, but during and immediately after the opening credits I noticed some light shakiness. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. I noticed a few tiny white specks, but there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Chato's Land Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track reproduces the native qualities of the original soundtrack very well. To be honest, I was quite surprised with the intensity of the shootouts from the desert because they sound quite a bit better than what I hear on my old DVD release. However, you should not expect to hear a wide range of dynamic nuances because throughout the rest of the film there simply isn't enough material that can produce memorable contrasts. The dialog is stable, clear, and very easy to follow.

Chato's Land Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for Chato's Land. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Interview with Screenwriter Gerald Wilson - in this archival interview, screenwriter Gerald Wilson shares a lot of very interesting information about the genesis and production of Chato's Land. I was quite surprised to hear that Robert Ryan was very seriously considered for one of the main parts. However, I do not see the link between Chato's Land and the Vietnam War, which apparently was recognized by some Italian critics many years ago. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Chato's Land Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was very surprised to learn that Robert Ryan was apparently considered for one of the key roles in Chato's Land. However, I can understand exactly why screenwriter Gerald Wilson wanted him so badly -- Ryan's presence would have transformed this film into a genre masterpiece. If you think that this is some sort of wild exaggeration, you need to see what he does in the noirish western Day of the Outlaw. He would have done the same here, surrounded by an even more impressive cast, and with Mother Nature's beauty and destructive power on full display. Michael Winner and Charles Bronson made a number of films together, and while a few are clearly better, I think that Chato's Land is the most atmospheric one. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a solid new 2K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.