Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Macho Callahan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 13, 2024

Bernard L. Kowalski's "Macho Callahan" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The prologue is sensational. It could have been used in any one of the iconic westerns Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood made. It hits hard and its visuals are as authentic as they can be, which is something that happens only in the truly great westerns.

Camp Hooks, a military prison in Texas, sometime in the year 1864. During a mass riot that very quickly evolves into a meat grinder, Confederate solider Macho Callahan (David Janssen), while dodging a rain of bullets, manages to get away. Soon after, Macho reunites with his best pal, Juan (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.), a free-spirited Mexican bandito, and together they plan to track down an opportunist named Duffy (Lee J. Cobb) who has cheated both. But before they can begin looking for their target, the two try to have a good time and Macho, who still sees red because of the misery he has been forced to endure at Camp Hooks, kills a Confederate lieutenant (David Carradine) after he refuses to give away two bottles of expensive champagne. The dead man’s wife, Alexandra (Jean Seaberg), who has been watching from afar, vows to get Macho killed, too.

Several days later, elsewhere in the South, Macho and Juan cross paths with Duffy and, at the right time, the former puts a bullet in his head. However, before they head to Felicidad, where Macho has been eyeing a piece of land and plans to reset his life, the two spend a night in a local saloon, unaware that Alexandra is also there and looking for them. When Alexandra spots them, she offers $1,000 to gunslinger Harry Wheeler (James Booth) to form a posse and hunt them down, but instead of waiting in her cozy hotel room to be told that justice has been served, she ends up riding with the fugitives toward the Mexican border.

Bernie Kowalski’s Macho Callahan is one of those very, very rare westerns that once seen cannot be forgotten. It is because it visits the American West without the rose-tinted glasses that made so many of its competitors look like parodies. It is also because it has characters that not only look but think and behave like the ones that undoubtedly populated the area during the late 1800s -- foolishly brave opportunists who gambled their lives as frequently as they did their riches.

Even though the Civil War is the most influential character -- simply because it has forced everyone to adjust or perish -- the film remains immune to politics. As a result, the clarity with which the film sees the areas that its leads visit and the people that live there is striking. It could be intimidating, too, especially if one expects the motley crew of people to eventually produce classic good and bad characters. In this film, all characters are flawed survivors, and most of them are very, very cynical.

Kowalski directs with confidence and precision that make it virtually impossible not to declare that Macho Callahan is his best work. Indeed, the leads look spectacular without creating the impression that they are trying, while the panoramic visuals from the rugged countryside are frequently breathtaking. In fact, a lot of the footage that Kowalski and his director of photography Gerry Fisher shot on location in Mexico is on par and often even more impressive than the one Leone and Sergio Corbucci did in Almeria.

Macho Callahan was inspired by an original story written by Richard Carr, who contributed to such classic TV shows as Johnny Staccato, The Guns of Will Sonnett, and The Six Million Dollar Man. Carr was assisted by fellow writer Cliff Gould.

Macho Callahan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Macho Callahan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The back cover of this release informs that Macho Callahan was fully restored in 4K from the original camera negative. Unfortunately, the party that did the work -- which is in some way must be related to StudioCanal because the European juggernaut's logo appears before the opening credits of the film -- failed in a number of different areas. I do not wish to speculate why, so I am only going to describe the flaws of the master that was used to source the release.

The visuals frequently reveal a great deal of softness and flatness that make it virtually impossible for proper delineation and depth to be present where they should. While in select areas lensing choices introduce some softness and flatness, it is very easy to tell that various traces of filtering adjustments are responsible for the way the film looks now. As a result, the dynamic range of the visuals is problematic as well. Color balance is off. For example, the prologue reveals a wide range of odd, neon-esque greens that either penetrate or collapse primary blue. Elsewhere, brown, green, and yellow are destabilized as well. Sadly, these color anomalies make pretty big sections of the film look like a sci-fi project, not a stunningly beautiful western. Image stability is good, but a few shaky transitions are present. I did not observe any large cuts, debris, stains, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, as presented on this release, Macho Callahan does not have a proper organic appearance. My score is 2.75/5.00. (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).

Macho Callahan 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.

The audio track is excellent. During the prologue, for instance, the big massacre produces some terrific contests and the intensity of the shootouts is great. Pat Williams' score also sounds very good, easily adding to the desired atmosphere. The dialog is clear, stable, and very easy to follow. Is there any room for meaningful improvements? I do not think so. At best, there might be some room for minor cosmetic adjustments.

Macho Callahan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Macho Callahan. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by filmmaker Alex Cox.

Macho Callahan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is such a shame that Macho Callahan was not properly restored so that it looks as it should because it is a stunning western, one of the very best to recreate the American South during the Civil War era. David Janssen's excellent transformation is not surprising, but there are several other actors, some with small roles too, that are terrific. This release from Kino Lorber touts a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, but the party that worked on the makeover clearly did not know how Macho Callahan should have looked in high-definition.