Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Forty Guns Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 17, 2018

Sam Fuller's "Forty Guns" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include Samantha Fuller's very good documentary "A Fuller Life"; archival recorded Q&A session with Sam Fuller; new video interview with critic Imogen Sara Smith; and more. The release also arrives with a 30-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Lisa Dombrowski and a chapter from Sam Fuller’s posthumously published autobiography, A Third Face, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Sam Fuller’s Forty Guns is a lot like Sam Peckinpah’s The Killer Elite -- it’s got a heck of an energy, some top-notch panoramic visuals, and stars that are doing their best to impress. You feel that it ought to be a special film. But the more time you spend with it, the more you begin to realize that it is just rehashing a lot of old clichés. And just like James Caan’s pro looked like a fish out of water amongst the ninjas in Peckinpah’s film, Barbara Stanwyck’s tough rancher sticks out like a sore thumb while leading her all-male posse.

The action begins deep into the heart of Arizona where Federal marshal Griff Bonnell (Barry Sullivan) and his two brothers, Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix), have their first encounter with "the woman with a whip" (Stanwyck) and her hired guns. The three outsiders are tracking down a man named Howard Swain, who has robbed the stagecoach mail and must be tried in court. Soon after, the brothers arrive in Tombstone and Griff is asked to help the nearly-blind sheriff John Chisum (Hak Worden) because he has gotten in trouble with Jessica’s dim-witted brother, Brockie (John Ericson). At first Griff refuses and declares that he is here only to get his man, but when shots are fired and the sheriff collapses in front of the local saloon, he confronts Brockie. Then he arrests the stunned troublemaker and, while his pals are watching him, makes sure that he is placed behind bars.

The news about Brockie’s arrest quickly reaches his sister and she arrives in town to get him out of jail. And she does without any resistance from the local defenders of the law.

Meanwhile, a beautiful girl (Eve Brent) steals Wes’ heart and he decides to marry her. The young man also reveals his intention to become the town’s new marshal. Inspired by Wes’ announcements, Chico also declares that he would like to be a lawman, but only angers Griff and he scolds him in a public speech. Eventually, Griff crosses paths with Swan, but trouble ensues when Brockie and a few of Jessica’s men decide to spoil Wes’ wedding.

The stylization, most of which is shaped up by some quite obvious noirish overtones, and good energy are what make Forty Guns worth seeing. However, instead of unloading his version of the harsh truth like he does in so many of his great crime thrillers, in this film Fuller frequently assumes the role of a sympathetic matchmaker who is on a mission to please his clients. It is an odd role for him that makes his missteps quite obvious and allows for a very unFuller-esque type of romantic sentimentality to become a permanent element of the narrative. It is the reason why the big character transformations, and specifically that of the feisty rancher during the second half, look seriously suspicious.

Once the main conflicts are identified some important characters veer off in new directions and the film creates the impression that the narrative will be significantly expanded. However, the interesting subthemes that begin to emerge alongside them -- like the odd dynamic of the relationship between the rancher and her violent brother -- are ignored in favor of straightforward action and cliched romance. This is unfortunate because it is arguably the one good option that Fuller had to make his film look more nuanced, and possibly even mature, as at times it seems he intended.

Forty Guns Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sam Fuller's Forty Guns arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Golden Eye film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative and restored by Twentieth Century Fox. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm optical soundtrack positive by Audio Mechanics in Burbank, California.

Transfer supervisor: Michael MacKinnon/Twentieth Century Fox Film Preservation.
Film scanning: MTI Film, Hollywood.
Colorist: Steven Porter/MTI Film."

The new 4K remaster is on par with the one that Fox produced for Jack Clayton's chiller The Innocents. Indeed, even though they were given different stylistic qualities by their cinematographers, now these films look equally impressive in high-definition. In terms of clarity and especially depth the visuals truly are striking, while fluidity is of what I consider to be 'reference quality'. Furthermore, there are incredible ranges of nuances that have been preserved by the terrific grading (see examples in screencaptures #3 and 12). I am probably starting to repeat myself now, but on a larger screen these are the type of fine details that really make a serious difference. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Image stability is terrific. All age-related imperfections have been removed as best as possible and the now the film looks spotless. (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).

Forty Guns Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is very clean, crisp, and stable. Depth is so good that at times it actually feels a bit unreal that the original soundtrack for Forty Guns was recorded in the late '50s. Fox really did a phenomenal job remastering the soundtrack and then creating the lossless audio track for the new 4K restoration. If there ever were any traces of deterioration and other conventional age-related imperfections, it is absolutely impossible to tell now.

Forty Guns Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Fuller Women - in this brand new video interview, Sam Fuller's widow, Christa Lang Fuller, and daughter, Samantha Fuller, talk about the exact period in which the director made Forty Guns, the hilarious dialog and key themes, Barbara Stanwyck's performance, his contract and great relationship with Darryl F. Zanuck, his love for the Wild West and the type of characters that he created for his films, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Los Angeles in 2018. In English, not subtitled (20 min, 1080p).

• Woman with a Whip - in this new video interview, Imogen Sara Smith, author of Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, deconstructs the narrative and style of Sam Fuller's Forty Guns. The interview was conducted in New York in 2018. There are additional comments about the evolution of the western genre as well. In English, not subtitled (35 min, 1080p).

• A Fuller Life - directed and produced by Samantha Fuller, this documentary chronicles the incredible life and career of Sam Fuller while using his own words and footage that he shot over the years. With readings by James Franco, Jennifer Beals, Bill Duke, Robert Carradine, Mark Hamill, Joe Dante, Tim Roth, William Friedkin, Monte Hellman, and Wim Wenders, amongst others. The documentary is based on the director's memoirs, A Third Face. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (81 min, 1080p).

• Stills Gallery - presented here is a collection of photographs from the production of Forty Guns which were found in Sam Fuller's archives. Included amongst them are promotional items and set-design drawings.

• Sam Fuller - presented here is an archival recorded Q&A session with director Sam Fuller that took place at the National Film Theatre in London, in 1969. A wide range of topics are discussed, from the role that violence has in his films, his directing skills and how they were acquired (without preliminary training), some of the director's lensing and cutting preferences, the ways in which Hollywood treated writers, etc. Audio only. (78 min).

• Booklet - 30-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Lisa Dombrowski and a chapter from Sam Fuller's posthumously published 2002 autobiography, A Third Face, as well as technical credits.

Forty Guns Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite the strong cast and abundance of great visuals, I do not think that Sam Fuller's attempt to produce a nuanced and mature western can be considered a great film. The romantic sentimentality that Forty Guns promotes simply does not fit the iconic director's classic style and the adjustments that he had to make to hide that it is so clearly limited his ability to impress. Heading in the exact opposite direction and experimenting in the same or similar way that Nicholas Ray did in Johnny Guitar could have been an interesting alternative, but I don't think that Barbara Stanwyck would have been right for such a project. Criterion's new release of Forty Guns is sourced from an outstanding new 4K restoration that was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox. Also, the release contains Samantha Fuller's very good documentary "A Fuller Life", which makes it impossible not to recommend it. RECOMMENDED.