Joshua Tree Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Joshua Tree Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 15, 2026

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Enter the Video Store: Video Vengeance set from Arrow Video.

Arrow is back with another Enter the Video Store collection, after having released Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams a few years ago. That previous collection focused on the producing efforts of Charles Band and Empire Pictures, and offered a number of titles that had already had at least one prior release on 1080 disc. This new aggregation offers mostly new to 1080 disc offerings in a collection that doesn't promote an individual like Band, but instead a "direct to video" set of titles that may not exactly (to co-opt a word from the previous collection's title) scream "classic", but which can offer some at least intermittent entertainment value along the way. The DTV ambience of these of course means pretty low budgets, but even so the collection offers an assortment of well known names, some in more than one feature, with folks like George Kennedy, David Hasselhoff, Jan-Michael Vincent, Bo Hopkins, Dolph Lundren, James Tolkan, Yaphet Kotto and John Schneider picking up paychecks. It probably goes without saying that in true DTV tradition, many (all?) of these films show signs of having been, um, inspired by mainstream box office successes in the, you know, "real" film industry.

Joshua Tree is the sole film in Arrow's set which has had both a previous 1080 release and an attached review. Those interested in plot information are encouraged to read Martin Liebman's Joshua Tree Blu-ray review of a 2013 Blu-ray release by Shout! Factory. I've attempted to reproduce some of Marty's screenshots in this review so that those interested can do side by side comparisons.

Joshua Tree Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Joshua Tree is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. Arrow's insert booklet lumps all of the films in the set together on the page offering information about the presentations:

Ministry of Vengeance is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with mono audio. The 35mm interpositive was scanned in 2K resolution at Fotokem. The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at Dragon Post Production.

The Final Alliance is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with stereo audio. The 35mm interpositive was scanned in 2K resolution at Fotokem. The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at R3Store Studios.

R.O.T.O.R. is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with mono audio. A high definition feature master was supplied by MGM via Park Circus. Additional grading and picture restoration was completed by R3Store Studios.

Hangfire is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with stereo audio. The 35mm interpositive was scanned in 2K resolution at Fotokem. The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at R3Store Studios.

Joshua Tree / Army of One is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with stereo audio. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution at Fotokem. A 35mm interpositive element was scanned for the sections unique to the Army of One version. The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at Dragon Post Production. The original magnetic audio reels were transferred at Deluxe Audio Services. The soundtracks were restored by Bad Princess Productions. All materials sourced from MGM.

Our database shows an original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, while the IMDb is listing 2.35:1. The Shout! Factory release reviewed by Marty was in 2.36:1, and while this is actually in 2.38:1, not 2:35:1 as Arrow reports above, I see no signs of any anamorphic stretching, as slight as it would have to have been. The biggest difference here is kind of ironically (at least given the somewhat flushed appearance I've mentioned in several of the other reviews of films in Arrow's set) a clear tilt away from a pretty red looking transfer from Shout (compare screenshot 1 of this review with screenshot 2 of Marty's review for just one example). The overall look here is also probably bit darker than in the older disc, but the outdoor material in particular still pops incredibly well and even some of the dimly lit material can still offer at least adequate detail levels. The Army of One presentation is a little more variable per the above verbiage but certainly still generally excellent looking.

Joshua Tree Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Joshua Tree features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 track on its Army of One cut that offers nice support for a kind of jangly, roots inflected score by Joel Goldsmith and a glut of ambient environmental effects, though it's interesting that the old Shout! Factory release had a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track probably understandably opens things up a bit more and which is included on the Joshua Tree cut. There's still a fairly commanding low end here, even given built in limitations, and some literally explosive moments are compelling. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Joshua Tree Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Joshua Tree (Theatrical Cut) (HD; 1:41:52) is accessible under the Choose Version menu.


• Army of One (Extended Cut) (HD; 1:46:14) is accessible under the Choose Version menu.


• Commentary by Vic & Andy Armstrong


• Vic Armstrong on Joshua Tree (HD; 26:04) is a 2026 interview with the director.


• A Look Back at Joshua Tree (HD; 24:07) is an archival piece from 2013.


• Alternate Ending with Commentary (HD; 11:16)


• Vic Armstrong on His Career (HD; 3:26) is from 2013.


• Andy Armstrong on His Career (HD; 3:50) is from 2013.


• Original Trailer (HD; 2:33)


• Stills Gallery

Joshua Tree Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Of all the films Arrow has aggregated for this latest Video Store set, Joshua Tree (and/or Army of One) is probably the most deserving of wider renown. Some of the action sequences are first rate, with both well choreographed battles and some pretty amazing on the fly coverage of things like car chases. Technical merits are solid and this disc boasts some of the best supplements of the set. Recommended.