Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Straight Shooting Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 14, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Straight Shooting.

Harry Carey's film career was long enough that when he was working in the proto noir thriller Among the Living in 1941, part of Paramount's publicity push for the film was to cover what at least some of the accounts at the time listed as a 50th Anniversary in Show Business celebration for the venerable actor, where he was feted and given (wait for it) a commemorative watch. That probably questionable number would tend to indicate Carey had been toiling in the movie industry since 1891, but since Carey was born in 1878 and would have been only 13, not to mention the fact that there really wasn't a movie industry in the United States in any meaningful way in 1891 might suggest a certain PR hyperbole was at play, but even so, Carey's film career does stretch back to the earliest years of the silent era, with, according to the IMDb, his first film appearance coming in 1910. Interestingly in that regard, other "snipes" on the backs of press photos distributed by Paramount in 1941 offer a potentially somewhat more accurate description of the event as a celebration of Carey's 33rd year in movies, but that designation would take his career back to circa 1908, which may or may not suggest that there's some unknown or at least unremembered Carey film languishing in some hidden nook and/or cranny somewhere. For those only acquainted with Carey due to his later in life performances, where he could essay either generally avuncular types (as in his Academy Award nominated performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) or more sinister types, as in the aforementioned Among the Living, may be downright surprised to think of Carey as a Western star, of all things, but he was in fact one of his era's leading lights in that then still nascent genre. Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint has aggregated two relatively early Harry Carey western films, both helmed by the legendary John Ford, into an agreeable package that offers generally secure technical merits and some very appealing supplements.

Straight Shooting was the very first feature film directing credit for John Ford, then billing himself as Jack. Straight Shooting offers Carey in his signature role "Cheyenne Harry", a character name he adopted for several years (including in the other film featured in this set from Eureka!), though, as Kim Newman points out in the supplement included on this disc, there's really no continuity between any of the films featuring the same named character. But as repetitive as the character name may have been (even if it is little remembered today), it pales in familiarity to a plot that revolves around the conflicts between ranchers, homesteaders and water rights, which is what drives the narrative here. That's one of the kind of maybe slightly hilarious things about the film, in that as early as 1917 several Western tropes seem to rather incredibly be already so weirdly well developed. In other ways, though, Straight Shooter rather fascinatingly defies genre conventions, at least insofar as genre conventions were firmly ensconced in 1917.

It's kind of interesting to view the depiction of Cheyenne in this film in light of a kind of prologue in Hell Bent, which sees a publisher writing to a Western author asking for a focal character who isn't a veritable Boy Scout (so to speak), since no one in their right mind could believe that men of impeccable moral virtue actually exist (or existed). In that regard, Cheyenne in this film actually starts out as a hired killer working for one of the film's villains, Thunder Flint (Duke Lee), sent to take out an innocent farmer named Sims (George Berrell). Cheyenne has a change of heart when he encounters the Sims grieving for their son, who has fallen prey to another one of Flint's henchmen. It also doesn't hurt that the Sims family includes a pretty young damsel named Joan (Molly Malone).

In both this film and Hell Bent, Cheyenne may be a bit of a booze hound, just another kind of unexpected character trait for a perceived "hero" this early in the Western genre.

Straight Shooting Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Straight Shooting is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Eureka! sent only check discs for the purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any verbiage included in an insert booklet, but the press sheet accompanying the discs states this release is a UK debut on Blu-ray, fully restored in 4K. I'm assuming this was culled from the same master as the U.S. release from 2020 distributed by Kino Lorber. For those used to watching older silents, this will be a really revelatory viewing experience on many levels, though those unacquainted with the damage the often accrues from such older material may be at least somewhat distressed with some of the recurrent damage that's on display. While there are numerous scratches, nicks, blemishes and even occasional missing frames, the bulk of this presentation is surprisingly solid looking, with decent detail levels and some nice, consistent contrast. Grain looks natural, though in that regard and with regard to damage, I'm wondering if the opening titles and intertitles may have been recreated (despite some apparent wobble in the opening credits), since the backgrounds are jet black, lettering is completely clear and there's absolutely no sign of any age related wear and tear.

Straight Shooting Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Straight Shooting features a new score by Michael Gatt which is delivered via an LPCM 2.0 track. The score is perhaps a trifle more traditional than the one on Hell Bent, with prominent piano augmented by a small ensemble that also includes guitar and a rhythm section. The score is nicely full bodied, despite the lack of a huge orchestra, and sounds clear and inviting throughout the presentation.

Straight Shooting Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Joseph McBride


• Kim Newman on Harry Carey (HD; 22:02) is another enjoyable outing with Newman, who discusses Carey's background and unlikely Western stardom.


• Bull Scores a Touchdown (HD; 10:42) is one of two video essays by Tag Gallagher included in this set. He gives some background on Ford and other actors in Ford's company. I found Gallagher just a tad difficult to understand at times due to a somewhat unusual accent.


• Hitchin' Posts (HD; 3:11) is a fragment from a 1920 silent by John Ford, preserved by the Library of Congress.

Eureka! provided only check discs for purposes of this review, but the press sheet they sent mentions a collector's booklet. Interestingly, a Czech version of Straight Shooting is listed as a potential supplement, but wasn't included in the material sent to me.

Straight Shooting Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Straight Shooting is an important film historically, but it's surprisingly exciting even to modern day eyes, combining both "tried and true" elements which would become staples of Westerns in the talkie era, along with a few unexpected elements. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements appealing. Recommended.