Colt .45 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Colt .45 Blu-ray Movie Review

It works (almost) every time.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 6, 2026

A popular 1950 Western that later spawned the loosely related 1957-60 TV series of the same name, Edwin L. Marin's Colt .45 is a decently fast-paced action/drama starring genre fixture Randolph Scott, later best known for his lead role in Ride the High Country. Not surprisingly given its name, the plot mostly centers on that titular firearm; two of them, actually, when they're stolen from a traveling gun salesman who's not about to walk away without a fight.

Said gun salesman is Steve Farrell (Randolph Scott), a representative for the Colt Firearms Company who travels through the West demonstrating the capabilities of their brand-new repeating revolver. Unlike the single-shot pistols commonly used at the time, their new weapon gives its owner a decisive advantage, which makes it both a valuable commercial product and a dangerous prize for outlaws. While demonstrating these Colt revolvers in the town of Red Rock, Farrell presents the weapons to Sheriff Harris (Alan Hale Sr., already a veteran character actor whose son would be later known as "The Skipper" on Gilligan's Island). During Farrell's exhibition, prisoner Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) escapes custody and grabs both Colt revolvers, shooting his way to freedom and disappearing with the powerful weapons. Farrell was present during the escape, so suspicious townsfolk accuse him of helping the outlaw.

Farrell is innocent, of course, but he's confined to a jail cell while Brett begins his ruthless campaign of robberies and murder while using the superior firepower of the Colt revolvers to overwhelm lawmen who are only armed with slower, single-shot pistols. Eventually, though, Farrell is cleared of any wrongdoing and released... and as luck would have it, he has a spare set to even the odds. Determined to recover those stolen revolvers and restore his reputation, Farrell brazenly sets out alone on Brett's trail and pursues him across the frontier, where he witnesses the brutal devastation left in the outlaw's wake. Brett and his gang repeatedly ambush stagecoaches, rob travelers, and basically mow down anyone who stands in their way since the efficient Colt pistols have proven to be a deadly equalizer, allowing Brett and his men to strike with speed and confidence while spreading fear throughout the territory.

During his journey, Farrell meets Paul Donovan (Lloyd Bridges) and his lovely wife Beth (Ruth Roman), who at first appear to be respectable settlers trying to make a living on the frontier. Farrell soon discovers that Paul has become entangled with Brett's gang, lured by the promise of easy money. Beth, however, is torn by her husband's criminal associations and increasingly admires Farrell's courage, integrity, and determination. As the story progresses, Beth becomes an important ally, caught between devotion to her husband and her growing respect for the lawman-like gun salesman. Farrell also gains the friendship of Walking Bear (Chief Thundercloud), a Native American chief whose tribe has suffered greatly at the hands of Brett's gang. After Farrell demonstrates fairness and compassion toward Walking Bea's people, their leader helps him track the outlaw. Their partnership allows Farrell to follow Brett into dangerous territory, where the gang continues its violent raids while trying to stay one step ahead of the law.

Colt .45 (which was later reissued under the name Thundercloud, surely to avoid confusion with the TV series) is a lot of things, but it isn't complicated. That sometimes works to a film's advantage but Colt .45 is perhaps a bit too simple, as there's not a whole lot in the way of characterization or depth aside from the details provided above. Even so, what it lacks in complexity it partially makes up for in entertainment value, and the Technicolor cinematography by Wilfred M. Cline -- who's credited as "additional crew" in Gone With the Wind but worked extensively in television -- gives the film an attractively rustic veneer that makes its landscapes and costumes stand out all the more strongly. Its technical strengths are greatly supported by yet another top-tier restoration job from Warner Archive, who have once again produced a rock-solid home video package that will appeal to fans of the film and first-timers too.

Colt .45 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from a recent 4K scan of the film's original Technicolor negatives, Warner Archive's new and exclusive 1080p transfer of Colt .45 looks every bit as good as you'd expect given that pedigree. The boutique label has handled loads of previous catalogue titles sourced from similar materials, and most if not all of them have received perfect five-star ratings for their outstanding color, fine detail, textures, and stability, all of which will meet or exceed the expectations of staunch purists. What's more is that the film is extremely clean but not at the expense of organic film grain, which of course is extremely fine here but ever-present. The cinematography by Wilfred M. Cline looks great, only occasionally dipping during those notoriously unconvincing "day for night" scenes of which Colt .45 has several -- mostly towards the end, including the climactic moment seen in screenshot #5 and elsewhere. All things considered, this is yet another outstanding effort deserving of a hearty 5/5 rating and, not surprisingly, the disc encoding is solid too and ensures the film runs at a high and supportive bit rate with no prevailing compression problems along the way.

Colt .45 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio sounds very good too, as this DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track repurposes the original mono audio in a split two-channel container for wider playback. The film's ample dialogue is cleanly supported... and so is the original score by William Lava, whose prolific career also includes a number of posthumous credits after his 1971 death. I wasn't able to notice any prevailing signs of damage here, as overall this is a very clean and well-managed track that sounds true to its era and deftly mixes its quiet moments with... well, a suitable amount of gunshots, given the title.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Colt .45 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed artwork and a few era-specific extras.

• So You Want to Throw a Party (10:36) - This unrestored 1950 Joe McDoakes short, directed and co-written by Richard L. Bare, follows Joe (George O'Hanlon, who also co-wrote) on another misadventure as he mixes up his wife's party guest list with the names of his creditors. What could go wrong? Everything.

• Hillbilly Hare (7:26) - This fun 1950 Looney Tunes short, directed by Robert McKimson, stars you-know-who as he faces off against backwoods brothers Curt and Punkinhead Martin. Great stuff as always, and it was last seen in HD as part of WB's Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray collection.

Colt .45 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Simple and straightforward almost to a fault, Edwin Marin's Colt .45 is an entertaining Western later reissued under the name Thunderbolt to avoid confusion with the (mostly unrelated) 1957-60 TV series. As its title suggests, it's got plenty of action and the colorful characters smooth over some of the story's rougher patches, with the end result also aided by attractive Technicolor cinematography that looks beautiful on Warner Archive's restored Blu-ray. Add in lossless audio and a few era-specific extras and you've got a small but strong package that comes Recommended to fans.