Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 20, 2024

Sergio Corbucci's "Navajo Joe" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox; archival audio commentary by Ennio Morricone historian Gary Palmucci; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The ruthless leader of a large gang whose members have been getting paid to kill Indians across the West decides to rob a Wells Fargo train transporting a large amount of money after he is told by his employers that his services are no longer needed. But when the bandits attack the train, a handsome Indian named Navajo Joe single-handedly drives them away and delivers the money in Esperanza, a small town with a worthless sheriff whose residents want to modernize it. Convinced that it is only a matter of time before the bandits come back looking for the money, the town’s leaders hire Navajo Joe to protect them.

Several days later, the bandits regroup, draw a new plan to get rich quick, and head to Esperanza. Assisted by a traitor who wants a chunk of the money for himself, they enter the town and quickly capture Navajo Joe. But when a few brave souls manage to release their paid protector, all hell breaks loose. Between the shootouts, a very beautiful Indian girl who has been working as a maid in Esperanza falls in love with Navajo Joe.

Directed by Sergio Corbucci in 1966, the same year Franco Nero became the legendary Django, Navajo Joe managed to bring together an impressive group of talented people from different countries. It is based on a story by Ugo Pirro, who worked with Elio Petri on his masterful Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and Lulu the Tool and Vittorio De Sica on the beautiful The Garden of the Finzi Contini, and a script by the prolific Fernando Di Leo (The Italian Connection) and Piero Regnoli (Marcello Andrei’s A Black Ribbon for Deborah). The cast included a very young Burt Reynolds, the great Spanish actor Fernando Rey (Luis Bunuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Valerio Zurlini’s The Desert of the Tartars), Aldo Sambrell (Sergio Martino’s Arizona Colt Returns, Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More), and Italian beauty Nicoletta Machiavelli (Andrzej Zulawski’s The Important Thing is to Love). Silvano Ippoliti, who collaborated with Tinto Brass and Jacques Deray on many of their most popular films, stepped behind the camera, while Ennio Morricone delivered yet another memorable soundtrack.

Despite the long list of experienced contributors, however, Navajo Joe is a rather underwhelming entry in the spaghetti western catalog. Indeed, its plot is disappointingly simple, and all its characters of importance are so one-dimensional that it is virtually impossible to take them seriously. On top of this, during the second half, where different relationships are established, the discussions frequently feel like forced exchanges between people who can hardly wait to head in opposite directions.

The one and only redeeming quality of Navajo Joe is the frequently stunning footage from the south of Spain, where large portions of it were shot. The attack on the Wells Fargo train and the final clash between Navajo Joe and the bandits, in particular, have that glorious epic look that make so many of these spaghetti westerns fascinating to behold. Morricone’s excellent soundtrack is also used very effectively to infuse Navajo Joe with a proper exotic flavor.

Over the years, Quentin Tarantino has frequently stated that Corbucci’s Navajo Joe is one of his all-time favorite westerns.

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

In the United States, Navajo Joe made its high-definition debut with this release in 2015. A couple of years earlier, Swiss label Koch Media prepared this release of the film, which is the only one I currently have in my library.

It appears that all three releases are sourced from the same old master, which most unfortunately is not a good one. Indeed, large areas of the film can look quite soft and flat, and a few spots are even smeary. Grain exposure is superior on this release, but there are many inherited fluctuations that make this improvement irrelevant. Furthermore, a lot of finer nuances, and especially darker ones, are either unconvincing or lost, which is why depth is almost never pleasing. If you have a big screen, this will be one of the biggest issues you will notice. Sharpness is not good either, though it is good to see that the master has not been artificially sharpened. Color balance is stable. However, this is an area where major improvements can be made. Saturation levels can be improved in various primaries and supporting nuances. Many darker and dark nuances can be expanded and appear a lot healthier, too. A few blemishes and nicks pop up here and there. I even noticed traces of fading. All in all, while the current presentation is serviceable, Navajo Joe will need a proper 2K or 4K remaster so that it looks as good as it should on Blu-ray. (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).

Navajo Joe 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I would describe the lossless track as good. The raid on the train and the rest of the shootouts throughout the film, for instance, sound quite nice. The dialog is clear and easy to follow, too. However, if you turn up the volume a bit more than usual, some areas reveal what I usually refer to as 'thinning'. English dubs that were prepared for Italian spaghetti westerns almost always reveal unevenness, but I think that aging might have contributed to the 'thinning' as well. So, perhaps a remastered audio could introduce some small but meaningful improvements.

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Ennio Morricone historian Gary Palmucci.

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

Navajo Joe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kino Lorber's reissue of Navajo Joe offers a different technical presentation of the film. However, if you have the original release of Navajo Joe from 2015, you should not consider an upgrade. Thus far, Kino Lorber and other international boutique labels have all worked with the same old MGM master, which has a lot of limitations that give Navajo Joe a dated, mostly average appearance. This film will have to be properly restored, either in 2K or 4K, so that it looks as it should in high-definition.