Death of a Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Death of a Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 23, 2026

Don Siegel and Robert Totten's "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Dwayne Epstein, and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Note: The text below was previously used in our review of Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release of Death of a Gunfighter, produced in 2023.

The legendary Allen Smithee made his directorial debut with Death of a Gunfighter in 1969, and he has been going strong ever since. Believe it or not, earlier this year, Smithee delivered yet another gem, Anatar, while vowing to keep a famous Italian practice alive forever. During the grand premiere of Anatar in Rome, Smithee even revealed how he intends to do it. “Age is nothing but a number,” he reportedly said. “Though I turn 156 this summer, I will be around a long time to keep giving my fans what they desire”. Just hours later, Smithee jumped on a plane bound for Sri Lanka, where he is apparently set to begin working on a brand new James Fong film, funded entirely by Krispy Kreme and Ace Hardware.

Let’s get serious now. Death of a Gunfighter did launch the career of a very unusual fictitious character that is credited with making some notorious turkeys. However, the two men who made it, Robert Totten and Don Siegel, did quite well with it. Totten was the original director of Death of a Gunfighter but was replaced by Siegel after Richard Widmark repeatedly clashed with him and then effectively forced him out. Film scholars tell different stories about how much Totten and Siegel shot and why the latter refused to have his name attached to the final version of Death of a Gunfighter, but ultimately, it is irrelevant which of these stories is the most accurate. Death of a Gunfighter is a good film with some very fine performances.

In a small town somewhere in rural Texas, the veteran Sheriff Frank Patch (Widmark) is forced to shoot a drunkard who accuses him of having an affair with his wife and attempts to kill him. Shortly after the drunkard dies, the community leaders convene and agree to fire Patch while using the shaky pretext that it is time to modernize the town. But Patch refuses to walk away and instantly becomes a target that annoys and then angers his critics. In a desperate move to get rid of him, the community leaders reach out to another Marshall (John Saxon) from a nearby town with a request for help, but the outsider’s amateurish diplomatic efforts only further solidify Patch’s decision to keep his badge and emerge victorious. Soon after, all hell breaks loose.

The politics of Death of a Gunfighter are very interesting and most definitely not as simplistic as they have been made in the past. For example, nearly three-thirds of its story seems to suggest that Patch has evolved in a bad way and is not any different than the troublemakers he faces. However, as a man representing the law, Patch is routinely the law too, so he is effectively above the townsfolk and untouchable. Needless to say, there is an obvious attempt to frame Patch at least as an old-fashioned brute with a badge whose time has run out.

However, the actions and reactions of the community leaders do plenty of very good work to improve Patch’s image and rationalize his resistance. Indeed, they are badly compromised too, though unlike Patch, they lack the courage to openly face their opponent and defend their beliefs. The group meetings they conduct are particularly damaging to their ‘good’ image because they are not that different from the shady gatherings that corrupt union bosses and mafia leaders will legitimize in the twentieth century.

A very careful examination of Patch’s profile will undoubtedly uncover several characteristics that make it possible to link him to Will Kane (High Noon) and Dirty Harry (Dirty Harry). However, Patch’s profile is compromised by the presence of destructive nihilism that collapses his system of beliefs. Kaine and Harry are strikingly stubborn and perhaps comparatively destructive characters wearing a badge, too, but they judge their realities and dilemmas with a different type of clarity.

While not a visual stunner, Death of a Gunfighter is a very fine-looking western. It was lensed by Andrew Jackson (TV’s The Rockford Files: The Complete Series).

Death of a Gunfighter 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, Death of a Gunfighter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In 2023, we reviewed this Region-B Blu-ray release of Death of a Gunfighter , which is the only other Blu-ray release of the film that I have in my library. It was sourced from an older, mostly decent master, supplied by Universal Pictures.

Clearly, Kino Lorber's release is sourced from the same older master. However, and much to my surprise, this master now produces much harsher and often quite distracting visuals. Why? I do not know. However, if I had to speculate, I would say that when the Region-B Blu-ray release was prepared, some encoding adjustments were made to tone down the harshness as much as possible. I could see this harshness on the Region-B release as well. This is why I previously stated that some visuals did not have a solid organic appearance. However, now the harshness is a lot more pronounced, and it can be seen in many new areas of the film. You can compare this and this screencapture to get a basic idea of the type of difference that exists between the two presentations of the film. Obviously, while very similar, delineation, clarity, and depth now fluctuate in different ways in different places. Color reproduction and balance remain the same. Some supporting nuances can be expanded and adjusted a bit, but I do not see any major issues. Image stability is very good. (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).

Death of a Gunfighter 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 is excellent. This is somewhat surprising. However, it does make sense because when the current master was prepared, the audio was probably completely redone. Interestingly, there are no big shootouts, chases, stampedes, etc. So, as I mentioned in our review of the Region-B release, I do not believe that there is any room for meaningful improvements.

Death of a Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Exercise No. One (1962) - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Dwayne Epstein.

• Trailer - presented here is a remanstered vintage trailer for Death of a Gunfighter. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Death of a Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While it is interesting to speculate what might have happened if Don Siegel had been the first choice to direct Death of a Gunfighter, I do not think I would like to trade the current version of the film for a different one. A very careful examination of Richard Widmark's sheriff, for instance, can reveal several characteristics making it impossible to link him to iconic characters like Will Kane and Dirty Harry, which is quite extraordinary. Kino Lorber's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from the same older master that was used to produce the British Region-B release of Death of a Gunfighter. However, now the film has a noticeably harsher appearance, which I find rather distracting. If you wish to acquire a copy of this Blu-ray release for your collection, you should find a way to test it first.