6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When the multiple murderer Cain is released from prison after 18 years, he wants to settle down as a rancher and never touch a gun again. But his former life haunts him; not only that nobody wants to give him a job, some villains also want to pay him back. So he has to accept the offer of showman Ruffalo to perform as "Killer Cain" in his traveling shooting show. However after 18 years without practice even Ruffalo's young assistant Billy shoots better than Cain.
Starring: Clint Walker, Vincent Price, Anne Francis, Paul Hampton, Mike Henry (I)Western | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Studying the stain of violence, 1969’s “More Dead Than Alive” takes on a troubling reality with the western genre, where men of sheer brutality have to eventually move on with their lives, with some looking to step away from such physical temptations. For Cain (Clint Walker), a history of violence has left him unemployable, tempted by sideshow owner Ruffalo (Vincent Price) to pick up a gun after 18 years of imprisonment and revive a brand name, “Killer Cain,” that’s made him a legend in the old west -- a legacy he wants nothing to do with until financial strain demands to be tended to.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is billed as a remaster, and it certainly looks refreshed for BD. Detail is especially strong, permitting the viewer to survey frame particulars and explore the actors, with subtle acting registering crisply here. Costuming is equally textured. Colors are vibrant, with bold primaries preserving the period look. Black levels are secure, offering ideal delineation. There's no overt print damage.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is straightforward but very effective, with a warm read of scoring cues that hold their instrumentation and position of support. Dialogue exchanges are clean and natural, sustaining dramatic intent without any distortive interruptions. Gunfire and town atmospherics are introduced with confidence.
"More Dead Than Alive" has trouble finding a suitable conclusion, but the build-up is exceptionally performed by the cast and scripted with a mission to comprehend character headspace. While handed Hollywood polish, the film remains raw and unsettled, concentrating on particularly catastrophic life decisions handled by a fragile man who's surrounded by onlookers that won't let him forget his past.
Warner Archive Collection
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