Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Last Train from Gun Hill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 16, 2021

There's a lot to like about Director John Sturges' (Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape) Last Train from Gun Hill, a tightly wound and decidedly dark Western about wrongdoing and revenge, about unjustifiable actions and the search for justice by any means necessary. What makes the film so good is its straightforward narrative simplicity. A wrong is done and one man sets out to make it right. The film navigates tricky waters between depravity and consequence and between loyalty and broken friendships in the wake of unthinkable loss. It's one of the more dynamic Westerns of its time, an unapologetically grim but very well made motion picture that both challenges its audience's essence and entertains its viewers at a base level.

It's a bad day for Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas), a lawman who learns that his wife (Ziva Rodann) has been raped and murdered outside of town. And he has a good idea who did it, or at least where to start looking. His son (Lars Henderson), who was with his mother at the time, brings home the perpetrators' horse. Its saddle is marked with the initials "CB" which tell Matt to start with his longtime friend Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn) who is a powerful rancher in the town of Gun Hill. When Matt confronts Craig, Craig keeps his guard but quickly comes to realize that it was his son Rick (Earl Holliman), who had taken the horse and now bears a deep scratch on his face, who is the guilty party. Craig is torn between justice and protecting his son while Matt finds himself on an island when facing off against a town that is all but owned by, and certainly loyal to, Craig Belden.

It doesn't take Matt long to piece together the killer's identity, either, and therein lies the dynamic plot details and character conflicts that drive Last Train from Gun Hill. The film's middle stretch sees Matt and Craig in conflict -- often indirectly -- as Matt encounters a number of obstacles in his search for truth and justice. He's not just a stranger in town, he's a stranger in a town loyal to Craig who is in turn forced to choose between friendship and blood and certainly right and wrong. Everyone makes his choice and the story follows the developing consequences thereof. The middle portion is slow going, at least in terms of action, but it's a capably rich piece of narrative filmmaking that explores the deeper and darker side of broken bonds, tattered relationships, wounded souls, and shattered hearts. The film works because of its adherence to character-first storytelling. Action is kept in check, and it's appropriately dark and straightforward when it does come.

The film's best asset is its actors. Douglas and Quinn play wonderfully one off the other, from the time they first meet on amicable terms to their final confrontation at film's end. The relational evolution and the way the characters grow through the story, making connections, making choices, and living with consequences are narratively finely honed and wonderfully worked by the leads. These actors bring a level of depth and detail to their inner essences that elevate the material quite a bit; there's not much here that's radically challenging within the larger film perspective but it's how they inhabit these characters and play off genuine responses to what they see and hear and build on the story's flow that makes it work so well. Sturges' direction is equally impressive; he builds the picture around his actors and allows them to do the heavy lifting, but he's well capable of capturing them in such a way as to expose them beyond the surface and accentuate his actors' work to tell a complete and compelling story.

Last Train from Gun Hill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount has done it again. The latest entry in the "Paramount Presents" line, this one a VistaVision original, is another faithfully filmic and beautifully organic and accurate 1080p Blu-ray that pushes the format to its limits for excellence. Grain management and delivery are exemplary. The picture retains a very fine grain presentation that is consistent in density and true to the picture's film roots. Detailing is excellent. The picture's clarity excels throughout, whether considering essential facial features or period Western attire. But it is perhaps around Gun Hill – the classic wood-and-dust Old West town – where the image is at its absolute best, revealing all of the worn and weathered exterior and interior textures to natural screen command. The picture never wants for additional depth or detail definition. Color reproduction is exemplary, too. While the film certainly favors a predominantly earthy push there are plenty of examples of bold and brilliant colors, including natural greens in the film's vital opening minutes and, later, examples of blood and bright clothing filling the frame with satisfyingly vivid tonal output. Skin tones appear healthy and accurate. Black level depth is excellent. There are next to no serious print issues or encode failures. This is a terrific Blu-ray from Paramount.

Last Train from Gun Hill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio delivery quality impresses. While the Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mono soundtrack lacks multichannel fullness the essential elemental definition is very good, including, dominantly, orchestral score which plays with adequate front end width (though lingering more in a middle area between center and left/right rather than fluidly wide and full). Various action elements -- particularly heard later in the film when a variety of gunfire, raging fires, and the like -- play to a level of harmony and clarity that is surprisingly good for a film of this age and a sound design that wasn't engineered with today's audio capabilities at its disposal. It's well balanced along the sum total of its pieces, whether heard individually and discretely or as part of a collection of audio elements playing simultaneously. Also, the track is well capable of handling essential sound supports like jangling spurs and creaking leather quite well in scenes that allow for these sorts of authentic ambient elements to play as, practically, any given shot's most distinctive sonic feature. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized and images perfectly to a natural front-center position.

Last Train from Gun Hill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Last Train from Gun Hill includes a new critic retrospective and vintage trailers. This release is the 18th in the "Paramount Presents" line and includes the slipcover with fold-open poster artwork. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Filmmaker Focus -- Leonard Maltin on Last Train from Gun Hill (1080p, 7:22): The popular critic explores John Sturges' body of work, VistaVision, the "adult" story focus, characters, cast and performances, Douglas and Quinn's relationship on the set, the film's reception and legacy, and more.
• Original Theatrical Trailers (480i): Included are trailers for Last Train from Gun Hill (2:36), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (2:10), The Furies (2:17), and The Black Orchid (2:15).

Last Train from Gun Hill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Last Train from Gun Hill is a rich, vivid picture that takes classic Western staples and molds them into a story of great character depth and confrontation. It's narratively engaging, visually arresting, and very well performed. It's one of the better Westerns of its time. Paramount's Blu-ray, which is part of its prestigious "Paramount Presents" line, delivers striking video and high quality lossless audio; the technical presentation is sublime. The supplements are on the thin side but the Maltin retrospective is excellent, albeit brief. Highly recommended.