Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Five Card Stud Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 8, 2024

Dean Martin was the entertainer. The man of the Rat Pack and musical delights maintained a steady acting career throughout the 1960s, often returning to the comfort of western entertainment. The genre provided Martin with a chance to inhabit hard men and sly dogs, with 1968’s “5 Card Stud” playing to his strengths as a screen presence, returning the actor to the Old West for another round of intimidation games. Screenwriter Marguerite Roberts adapts a novel by Ray Gaulden, creating a detective story of sorts for director Henry Hathaway, who reunites with Martin after their collaboration on 1965’s “The Sons of Katie Elder.” “5 Card Stud” is an unusual feature in some ways, with sleuthing and itchy interactions prioritized here. Genre highlights are limited in the endeavor, which is greatly supported by the cast, who try to liven up a somewhat lumbering offering of criminal investigation.

Van (Dean Martin) is a professional gambler making a temporary home in Rincon, a gold rush town. He’s a man of the cards, happy to play some poker with the locals, including Nick (Roddy McDowall), a hothead who doesn’t take kindly to others. Nick especially hates cheaters, hastily organizing a hanging for man with an ace up his sleeve, corralling other cowboys to join in on the evening murder. Van objects, trying to stop the crime, only to be knocked out cold, waking up hours later after the death has occurred. He elects to leave Rincon for a spell, pulled back into service when he learns other men from the very same game have been killed by a mysterious figure. Back in Rincon, Van is determined to solve the crime, working with barkeep George (Yaphet Kotto) and Nick’s sister, Nora (Katherine Justice), to understand the clues, and his attention is pulled to Lily (Inger Stevens), the new owner of the town barbershop, who’s careful with the card sharp’s charms. Hoping to use the solemn event to his advantage, Reverend Rudd (Robert Mitchum) arrives in Rincon, looking to snap sinners to attention as he preaches the word of God.

“5 Card Stud” gets right into the thick of things in the opening five minutes. While Martin provides a theme song to set the mood of the feature, danger occurs immediately, with the poker gang discovering dishonest tactics from one of the players. Instead of booting the man out of town, Nick calls for a hanging, looking to make the “tinhorn” pay dearly for his crime. It’s an irrational act that gets the picture up and running, finding some panic from Van, who quests to stop the insanity, only to be punched into submission. “5 Card Stud” supplies a suspenseful introduction, with the writing establishing the severity of frontier justice and Nick’s anger issues, which seem to multiply whenever Van is around.

The story follows Van around Rincon, where he’s well-liked, especially by Nora, who’s trying to catch the older man’s attention, much to Nick’s disgust. The character soon leaves town to clear his mind and find fresh card games, but he’s not gone for long. A murder mystery breaks out in “5 Card Stud,” with the death of two men triggering panic in Rincon, and more bodies are soon to come. It’s a compelling hook for the movie, with Van returning to the community to sort things out, quickly realizing he’s facing a deadly situation as the gamblers from the dangerous game are being picked off one-by-one. “5 Card Stud” doesn’t follow such a juicy invitation for tension, eventually breaking off into subplots, including the arrival of Reverend Rudd. A man of God and a fan of handguns, the preacher intends to bring biblical order to Rincon, making his presence understood by all.

Less successful for “5 Card Stud” is time with Lily. She’s a fancy lady running a barbershop staffed by women, which immediately attracts Van’s attention. The screenplay hopes to build the pair as love interests, taking time to soak up their flirting and backstories, but such a distraction doesn’t help the pace of the movie. Van also seems weirdly casual around Lily, tempted by her pronounced femininity even while he’s on a hit list of some type, also discovering more dead men along the way. One would think the pressure of the situation would take more of a priority in Van’s life, but this is a Dean Martin picture after all, with flirting part of his appeal.

Five Card Stud Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "5 Card Stud" is listed as "newly scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative." Color is especially rich during the viewing experience, examining the lush green felt of card tables and the bright pinkness of Lily and her costuming. Interiors deliver a blend of sharp primaries and woodsy western buildings. Greenery is distinct, and skin tones are natural. Detail is strong, exploring the leathery faces of the male characters, and costuming is fibrous with suits and dresses. Exteriors are deep, examining the remote location and its natural beauty. Interiors remain dimensional, with a good sense of decorative additions. Grain is film-like. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition, with some type of anomaly around 3:00, where a moment of the feature gets very soft.

Five Card Stud Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a strong, clear listening experience for "5 Card Stud." Dialogue exchanges are defined, examining performance choices while offering a balanced sense of argumentative behavior. Scoring supports with a louder orchestral sound, emphasizing cinematic moods with sharpness. The Dean Martin theme song also registers as intended, with defined vocals. Sound effects are snappy.

Five Card Stud Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (14 pages) features an essay by Jim Healy.

• Commentary features film historian Brian Hannan.

• "A Woman of True Grit" (13:41, HD) is an appreciation piece from film historian Lizzie Francke, who celebrates the career of screenwriter Marguerite Roberts.

• "Jack of All Trades" (21:35, HD) is an appreciation piece from film critic Walter Chaw, who explores the career of director Henry Hathaway.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Five Card Stud Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hathaway works to balance the many tones of "5 Card Stud," and he does well with straight cowboy material. There are tests of brawn and acts of savagery, and genre highlights periodically arrive, including shootouts around Rincon, and a decent show of brawling. Outside pressure is applied by angry gold miners as well, adding community unrest to the to-do list of events. Action is welcome, doing better than the central mystery, which really isn't that hard of a puzzle to solve, finding Roberts doing little to truly obscure motivation in the feature. Hathaway has a lively supporting cast to help the picture out, with McDowall adding fury to the endeavor, and Mitchum provides some enigmatic behavior as a gunman for God. Martin's the star of the show, and while he's a little sleepy at times, he remains a compelling on-screen presence, feeling out Van's roguish ways and his awareness of certain threats. "5 Card Stud" could use another editorial pass to trim the fat, but what's here is entertaining enough, doing well with western formula and personality.