7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A Texas Ranger and a fugitive gambler stop renegades running guns and liquor.
Starring: John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin, Nehemiah Persoff, Lee MarvinWestern | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 4.0 (Original)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
John Wayne personifies the western genre. He simply does. Sure, there are other contenders—Clint Eastwood, Henry Fonda, Errol Flynn, Robert Redford—but none can touch The Duke for near-mythic stature. A rugged, economical, and often surprisingly funny actor—in his own wry, one-liner- delivering way—Wayne is an American icon, one of most indelible screen presences of all time. There are several “classic” John Wayne movies that spring immediately to mind—like The Searchers, Rio Bravo, True Grit, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and 1939’s Stagecoach—but what’s amazing about Wayne is that even his “lesser” films are a blast to watch. There are precious few outright duds in The Duke’s prolific 50-year career, and one of the joys of going through his filmography is in exploring the less-celebrated, but no less entertaining movies he made. The Comancheros falls into this category. Although it may not rank among even the top twenty of Wayne’s films, it’s a gorgeous Cinemascope western with a pleasing story, several memorable performances, and no shortage of guns a’blazin’ action.
I have to say; I wasn't expecting the film to look this beautiful on Blu-ray. 20th Century Fox has delivered a restored and remastered 1080p/AVC- encoded transfer that truly does justice to William H. Clothier's sun-soaked Cinemascope cinematography. The first thing that struck me is how immaculate the print is. Specks or flecks of any kind are few and far between, and there's no larger print damage whatsoever. Clearly, the studio took the time to give whatever source materials they used a proper clean-up. Thankfully, though, they stopped well short of trying to scrub all the filmic texture out of the image or give it unnecessary digital tweaks. Grain is wholly intact, and excess edge enhancement is nowhere to be found. There's some source-related softness from time to time—as you'd expect—but on the whole, there's a tremendous bump in clarity from the DVD edition of the film. Weather-beaten faces and leather vests, craggy rocks and the bad make-up job on Lee Marvin's scalp—all yield sharper, better-resolved textures. Color is also incredibly vibrant, from the pale blue skies and dusty orange terrain, to punchier hues like Pilar's cherry-red blouse and crimson curtains inside the riverboat. Skin tones are consistently tanned, black levels are deep without sacrificing too much shadow detail, and although there are a few instances where highlights run a little hot, contrast is nicely balanced. Aside from some minor color fluctuations around scene changes and brief flickering in a few scenes there are no real print-related issues worth pointing out, and compression isn't a problem at all. This is certainly the best the film has ever looked, and I think it'd be tough to make any future improvements.
Fox has included the film's original 4-channel audio in Dolby Surround, but you'll want to stick with the disc's default—a newly-minted DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track—if solely for the added clarity the lossless mix offers. Comparing the two, the DTS-HD track has a dynamic range that's both brighter and deeper, with less of a muddled mid-range. Of course, the film still sounds its age—not a lot of bass response, highs that can be somewhat brash, and effects that sound somewhat limp compared to today's LFE-activating sound design—but I don't think anyone could complain. Gunshots have adequate punch, horse hooves pound the desert floor nicely, and the battle scenes are suitably lively. There's not much action from the rear channels, but the few times they are used for effects—like rain pouring in the surrounds—it sounds natural, and not forced. Elmer Berstein's catchy score sounds wonderful too—I'll admit I woke up whistling it this morning after watching the film last night—and the music occasionally swells to fill all 5.1 channels. Dialogue throughout is clean and easy to understand. The disc also includes a few Dolby Digital mono dubs, along with English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
I tip my metaphorical hat to 20th Century Fox, who could've rushed The Comancheros out the door with nary a special feature, but instead decided to include two all-new documentaries, plus a commentary track, a digitally reproduced comic book, and more. In my eyes, this swings the film from decent upgrade to must-own for John Wayne fans. To top it off, the Blu-ray is housed in a great 24-page digibook, with actor/director bios, a plot synopsis, and plenty of photographs. Inside the front cover, you'll even find two reproduction mini-posters.
The Comancheros is too mundane and limited in its ambitions to be a top-tier John Wayne western, but it falls nicely into that cinematic middle ground of "lesser" films that are still a rollicking good time. As fans know, The Duke made few movies that were anything less than solidly entertaining. This one stands out for its beautiful cinematography, its colorful supporting characters—including a fantastically gnarly Lee Marvin—and the buddy-film chemistry between John Wayne and his co-star, Stuart Whitman. Fox has put together an impressive Blu-ray package for this release, with a near- perfect high definition transfer, clear audio, and a surprising wealth of special features, all housed within a classy 24-page digibook. Recommended!
1959
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