6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
For some time a gang of crooks has been running guns and ammunition out to foreign revolutionaries. Gordon MacKnight masters the scheme hijacking freight trains and killing the crews. Discouraged, Sheriff Tad Osborn is unable to catch the killers. His niece Dixie urges him to quit for his own protection. Roy and his Purple Sage assistants arrive in Bordertown in time to persuade the sheriff to stay in office and to help him capture the killers. MacKnight tries to escape in an engine but Roy and Trigger ride him down.
Starring: Roy Rogers, Trigger, Estelita Rodriguez, Penny Edwards, Gordon Jones (I)Western | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
1950’s “Sunset in the West” isn’t out to reinvent the western for an oversaturated marketplace. It’s content to serve up yet another round of black hats and white hats doing battle in a growing America, filling the brief run time (67 minutes) with enough gunfights, chases, songs, comedy, and horses to satisfy audiences. Thankfully, director William Witney isn’t troubled by sameness, giving “Sunset in the West” a rollicking sprit to stave away the stasis of formula, urging star Roy Rogers to play to his strengths of everyman charms, combating the western filmmaking machine with engaging stunt work and comfort food conflicts, always putting entertainment needs first.
The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation is billed as "Newly Mastered from a 4K Scan," giving "Sunset in the West" an impressive Blu- ray debut. The Truecolor production has a very exaggerated look, but hues appear within period standards, bringing out an almost pastel palette that's best with varied costuming, which covers saloon girl outfits to head-to-toe denim. Greenery is also appealing, moving from actual location shooting to flat backgrounds, which are easily identified here. Skintones are comfortable, but never natural. Detail is nicely defined throughout, only hitting a few inherent focus issues and equipment limitations. Textures are agreeable on fabrics and facial particulars. Distances are preserved. Delineation is secure. Grain is fine and filmic. Speckling is common throughout the viewing experience, and some mild warping is detected.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is simplistic, but it effectively supports the limited reach of the track. Dialogue exchanges are quieter but remain passable, with comedic speeds and acting limitations easy to understand. Scoring is thin but present. Sound effects aren't sharp, but they're alert, adding some blunt appeal with gunshots and fistfights. Mild hiss is present.
Fights are common, which eventually leads to gunplay, and "Sunset in the West" isn't afraid to go full Stooge for a few minutes, adding slapstick comedy where it can. It's not a challenging picture, but it retains passable identity, eased along by Roy's good-old-boy charisma and interest in maintaining the cowboy way.
1939
Warner Archive Collection
1948
1982
2017
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1961
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1939
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1950
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Colorado
1955
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Limited Edition
1960
1938