Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Kansas Raiders Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 28, 2023

Ray Enright's "Kansas Raiders" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and film historian Henery Parke and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

When you sit down to view Kansas Raiders, consider a couple of things. This was the third film Audie Murphy made for Universal and at the time his cinematic image was still being perfected. And yet, Murphy looks very, very good in it and his natural ability to lead is impossible to miss. Indeed, even though the screenplay demands that Murphy allows Brian Donlevy, a veteran actor with an excellent reputation, to dominate in large parts of the film, the former’s performance leaves the opposite impression. Also, five years after Kansas Raiders Murphy made To Hell and Back, which is quite remarkable, to say the least, because in it he is already a genuine Hollywood star.

Kansas Raiders was directed by Ray Enright, a hard-working director who prioritized quantity over quality. The overwhelming majority of the films Enright directed can best be described as B-pictures, but quite a few of them featured up-and-coming stars like Murphy. Also, many of these films were based on screenplays written by some of Hollywood’s most talented writers.

The screenplay for Kansas Raiders was delivered by Robert Richards, who was one of three writers that scripted the classic western Winchester '73. An honest evaluation of Kansas Raiders must point out that this screenplay is not particularly good but not because Richards mishandled it. Rather, it is because it was commissioned for a film with modest ambitions, which is precisely what Kansas Raiders was. In other words, Richards delivered the type of screenplay that the producers of Kansas Raiders had asked for.

Murphy is a young Jesse James and leads his brother Frank (Richard Long), Cole Younger (James Best), his brother Jim (Dewey Martin), and Kit Dalton (Tony Curtis) toward the notorious outlaw William Quantrill (Donlevy). They intend to join his Raiders to fight the Unionists who have killed their parents. Eventually, they reach Quantrill’s camp and get sworn in, not realizing that the Raiders are far worse than the Unionists and their accomplices, the Red Legs. While reconsidering the decision to join the Raiders, Jesse begins to fall in love with Kate Clarke (Marguerite Chapman), Quantrill’s girl, who urges him to leave because he is being used in a dangerous game. But before they can part ways Quantrill leads the Raiders into Lawrence, the Unionists strike back, and Jesse and his men get stuck in what seems like a lose-lose situation.

Historic accuracy was not a priority for the creators of Kansas Raiders but this is hardly surprising considering the expectations they had for it. The main goal of Kansas Raiders was to provide a decent cinematic platform for Murphy and several of his young co-stars and help them grow as character actors. This is the reason virtually everything that happens in Kansas Raiders prioritizes appearance, not historic accuracy.

But this does not mean that Kansas Raiders is a visual stunner. It is a fine-looking Technicolor film but one whose budget limitations are easily recognizable, too. In their exclusive new audio commentary, commentators correctly point out that Kansas Raiders borrows footage from other films produced by Universal, which was obviously done to make it appear bigger and more ambitious than it was.

Despite its flaws and limitations, however, Kansas Raiders is nearly impossible to dislike. Murphy’s charisma is the main reason for this. He looks very good and leads with confidence which is a bit surprising because it has a very positive effect on the actors around him.

Enright’s cinematographer was Irving Glassberg, who just a few years later would lense Bend of the River, The Duel at Silver Creek, and The Tarnished Angels.

Kansas Raiders Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kansas Raiders arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that has a hard time reproducing the wonderful Technicolor appearance of Kansas Raiders. No, it is not a disappointing master, especially when we consider that it emerged from Universal's vaults -- which have produced a lot of very, very problematic older masters -- but its limitations are quite obvious. For example, a lot of the panoramic visuals do not reveal proper delineation and depth. Clarity can fluctuate as well. Close-ups can look decent, but trained eyes will recognize that light sharpening has been applied and as a result grain does not have that solid organic and very attractive appearance. There are color registration issues as well, though for an old master color balance and stability are quite nice. Image stability is good. I noticed several nicks, tiny cuts, and blemishes, but there are no large damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (There are several inserts from other films, so the bigger fluctuations in quality that you will observe there are inherited). All in all, to look as good as it can, Kansas Raiders will have to be properly remastered, and preferably in 4K. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).

Kansas Raiders 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.

I thought that the lossless track was solid. There is one segment where the upper register felt a bit unstable because of some extremely light background hiss attempting to sneak in, but clarity, sharpness, and depth were still very good. Dynamic intensity is good, too. However, do not expect to hear great dynamic contrasts.

Kansas Raiders Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and film historian Henery Parke. There is plenty of interesting information about Universal's relationship with Audie Murphy and the films it produced, including Kansas Raiders; the film's visual style and tone; Murphy's career; the other future stars that joined him; the evolution of the western; etc.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Kansas Raiders. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Kansas Raiders Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is quite remarkable that just five years separate Kansas Raiders and To Hell and Back because in the latter Audie Murphy is already a legit Hollywood star. Clearly, Kansas Raiders was made to help Murphy -- and several other young stars that had contracts with Universal -- grow, but I do not think that too many people in the film industry could foresee his rapid maturation before the camera. Murphy's public image as a superhero makes this transformation even more impressive because the pressure to meet industry and societal expectations must have been tremendous. While a small film that embellishes history quite a bit, Kansas Raiders is very entertaining. It is included in Kino Lorber's Audie Murphy Collection II, a three-disc box set. RECOMMENDED.