Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Last Train from Gun Hill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 29, 2022

John Sturges' "Last Train from Gun Hill" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by film historian Stephen Prince; new program with critic Leonard Maltin; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

A twitch is all it takes. Remember that.

Had John Sturges not directed Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, it would have been impossible not to cite Last Train From Gun Hill as one of his greatest achievements. Indeed, the one and only flaw of Last Train From Gun Hill is the scope of its narrative, which unjustly leaves the impression that Sturges did not aim high enough and ended up shooting a smaller film.

Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn) is one of the most powerful cattle barons in the West. But in the town of Gun Hill Belden is almost like a God -- nothing gets bult or sold without his approval and all laws are interpreted as he says. He employs more than half of the townsfolk, too.

When Belden’s son, Rick (Earl Holliman), and his best friend, Lee (Brian G. Hutton), rape and murder a Native American woman (Ziva Rodann), U.S. marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas) arrives in Gun Hill determined to arrest both and then have them tried in court. Morgan is grieving too, because the dead woman was his wife and the mother of his little boy.

Having once saved Morgan’s life and begged him to become his partner, Belden welcomes the visitor with open arms. Then, completely unaware that Morgan is after his son and his best friend, vows to help him. Belden changes his mind immediately after Morgan reveals to him the identity of the killers and then, after promising to punish them, begs him to return home. When Morgan refuses and restates his intention to get the killers on the next train that passes through Gun Hill, all hell breaks loose.

It is very easy to explain why Last Train From Gun Hill is such a fine film -- it has the right cast of stars at the top of their game that were directed by a man who understood perfectly how to make them shine bright. Yes, this is precisely the reason why everything in Last Train From Gun Hill comes together so well and looks impressive. There are other important aspects of the production that were handled right, like the selection of the outstanding outdoor locations in Arizona, or the decision to have Dimitri Tiomkin compose yet another pitch-perfect score, but as cliché as it may sound it is the stars and Sturges’ direction that make Last Train From Gun Hill what it is.

The original material for Last Train From Gun Hill came from a story written by Les Crutchfield, which producer Hal B. Williams wanted to make into a film with two completely different stars, Charlton Heston and Burt Lancaster. It is good that Williams could not get his preferred first choices because it is awfully difficult to imagine them playing any of the main characters as well as Douglas and Quinn. Lancaster, in particular, would have infused the drama with notably different intensity.

On the way to Gun Hill, Douglas meets Carolyn Jones, who plays a former prostitute who has had a rocky relationship with Quinn’s cattle baron. After the fireworks begin, Jones helps Douglas and even reveals that she could fall in love with him. It is another fantastic performance that is wonderfully managed by Sturges because it effectively humanizes Douglas and Quinn’s characters.

Sturges shot Last Train From Gun Hill in VistaVision and as a result everything in it looks incredibly well detailed and sharp. Even the darkest nighttime footage, such as the one that features the approaching train, is pretty spectacular.

*Via Vision Entertainment’s Blu-ray release is sourced from a recent 6K restoration of Last Train From Gun Hill that was completed by Paramount Pictures in the United States. The restoration was first made available on Blu-ray in the summer of 2021, as part of the major’s line Paramount Presents. The release is dedicated to the memory of American film historian Stephen Prince (1955-2020).

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

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Last Train From Gun Hill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release introduces Paramount's recent 6K restoration of Last Train From Gun Hill, which was initially made available in North America. (You can see our listing and review of the U.S. release of Last Train From Gun Hill here). I like this restoration a lot. However, I would like to point out a couple of things that need to be placed in a proper context when its technical presentation is discussed.

First, even though the visuals can be quite striking, it is pretty easy to tell that Blu-ray struggles to accurately reproduce the amount of native information that was captured by the VistaVision camera. In some areas the dynamic range of the visuals actually does not feel quite right because very small nuances are simply 'downgraded', or if you prefer 'merged', quite a bit to fit on a 1080p transfer. You can see examples in screencaptures #7 and 17. This isn't a flaw. It is a how the native higher resolution information is accommodated on a 1080p transfer. Second, it is just as easy to tell that the spectrum of colors ought to be wider as well. Again, the visuals are often breathtaking, but in some areas saturation and balance are not optimal. This isn't a flaw of either. You can see examples in screencaptures #3 and 8. I specifically took screencapture #9 as well. Here it is very obvious that the current transfer and color grade are having a difficult time reproducing all native nuances, which is why brown, the main primary, begins to stick out. Third, despite being excellent, I think that fluidity should be even better. Why? Because this was one of the main strengths of the VistaVision process. At the moment fluidity is excellent, but not exceptional, and the reason for this is less than optimal resolution of the moving visuals. Image stability is excellent. Predictably, the entire film looks exceptionally healthy as well. All in all, this is a terrific technical presentation of Last Train From Gun Hill, but if seen in it its native resolution this film will look even better. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

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

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Dynamic strength and balance are excellent. Clarity and sharpness are really good, too. I did notice just a tiny bit of background hiss trying to sneak in, but I assume that it was left as is so that the integrity of the original audio is kept intact. Regardless, the lossless track is excellent and you do not need to worry about any distracting anomalies.

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

• Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Last Train From Gun Hill - in this recent program, critic Leonard Maltin discusses the conception and production of Last Train From Gun Hill, its reputation as an adult western, Paramount's VistaVision process, and the legacy of director John Sturges. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Last Train From Gun Hill. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film historian Stephen Prince discusses in great detail the production of Last Train From Gun Hill and Paramount's VistaVision process, some of the unique visual qualities of Charles Lang's cinematography and particular locations that are seen in the film, the stars and their careers, as well as John Sturges' style and how Last Train in Gun Hill fits into his body of work. Mr. Prince passed away shortly after recording this commentary. Via Vision Entertainment's release is dedicated to his memory.

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

If you regularly visit different sites where collectors gather to discuss their latest acquisitions and discoveries, you have probably grown tired of reading how such and such film is underrated and should have been declared a classic many moons ago. It is because nine out of ten times what you are reading isn't true. John Sturges' Last Train From Gun Hill is a genuine underrated western that should have earned its classic status a long time ago, so when last year the folks at Paramount Pictures revealed that they had restored it in 6K and were preparing a Blu-ray release, I was beyond thrilled. I think that the new restoration is outstanding and the only way the film could look better is if it was released on 4K Bu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.