Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Fastest Gun Alive Blu-ray Movie Review

Big trouble in little Cross Creek.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 27, 2023

Russell Rouse's The Fastest Gun Alive is the feature-length adaptation of a 1954 hour-long TV anthology series episode titled "The Last Notch". That's not necessarily a complaint, but it does explain why the film probably didn't feel like true big-screen escapist entertainment in a decade when small black-and-white boxes threatened to replace movie theaters. It nonetheless proved to be a modest hit for MGM, riding high on the public's enduring fascination with Westerns while succeeding decently well as a padded but engaging character drama that ends on a high note.

Glenn Ford stars as perpetually nervous and sweaty George Kelby Jr., a former ace sharpshooter who now poses as humble shopkeeper "George Temple" with his lovely wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) in the quiet town of Cross Creek. He's also given up drinking and has built the reputation of a quiet, upstanding citizen, yet one who's unsurprisingly the butt of jokes down at the local saloon. Soon enough, George's mysterious past catches up with him: menacing quick-draw Vinnie Harold (Broderick Crawford) has just shot down the former "fastest gun" Clint Fallon (Walter Coy) in a nearby town, and word travels fast. All the locals can't stop talking about it and George, struggling internally with his former lifestyle, soon has no choice but to reach for his carefully-hidden gun belt and a bottle of whiskey.

What follows is a surprisingly slow-building plot -- at least given the film's title -- that sees bulldog Vinnie and his men almost inevitably end up in George's neck of the woods. It's a mostly predictable story but one that at least takes a few much-needed detours, including a fairly clever coda that doesn't deviate from its source material and feels like viable middle-ground between the traditional "Hollywood ending" and an unfairly downbeat conclusion. Neither George nor his thankless wife are especially three-dimensional characters, but we still care what happens to them.

Yet the screenplay's hour-long origins are clearly evident at critical moments, including a few scenes that were either added or extended to fill the additional 30 minutes of runtime. (This is no 3:10 to Yuma, coincidentally also starring Glenn Ford, as small swaths of its "waiting game" feel more dragged out than suspenseful.) Its mostly understated black-and-white cinematography and 1.85:1 aspect ratio also fall short of the grand, ultra-wide landscape provided by Technicolor and then-new CinemaScope format -- both of which stood out sharply against TV's boxier, monochrome viewing experience -- and this also contributes to The Fastest Gun Alive's almost unavoidable small-screen aesthetic. But the end result is still a solidly entertaining film, one that warrants repeat viewings and sits pretty comfortably as watchable fare that should satisfy fans of the cast, crew, and subject matter. I could even see scoring The Fastest Gun Alive a solid 4/5 on the right day, but in my opinion it falls just a little short of true genre greatness.

As usual, Warner Archive's reliably great restoration efforts lead the way as part of yet another solid Blu-ray package. This one's a recommended release for fans and a solid overall entry during an extremely busy month for the boutique label: five more are part of this month's lineup, including the original 1931 version of Cimarron. (Its superior 1960 remake somehow slipped through the cracks in 2020, so perhaps I'll add that to my list as well.)

The Fastest Gun Alive Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Fastest Gun Alive was restored by Warner Archive from a recent 4K scan of the original camera negative, which should tell you all you need to know about the strength and stability of this rock-solid 1080p transfer. The workmanlike cinematography and production design look exceptionally crisp here -- not surprising, given its general abundance of sunny outdoor scenes and use of close-ups that draw attention to George Temple's endless supply of forehead sweat. From its costume designs to background details, The Fastest Gun Alive is a fantastically textured film that showcases excellent shadow detail and a full range of contrast values, all of which are reinforced beautifully thanks to Warner Archive's careful manual cleanup and reliably great disc encoding, which lets the show run at a supportively high bit rate with absolutely no signs of trouble. It's more great work from the best in the business for purist-friendly catalog releases, and yet another Blu-ray that pushes the format's boundaries for outstanding video quality.

The Fastest Gun Alive Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although it can't help but come in second, The Fastest Gun Alive's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix -- which has been sourced from an original mono magnetic printmaster, according to a reliable source -- offers a solid split rendition of the film's one-channel soundtrack. Dialogue is mostly crisp and André Previn's score is balanced very well with background effects and action, yet there's a lightly persistent level of hiss that can be heard along the way. It's a fair compromise, as a much heavier hand would have squashed the film's dynamic range, so die-hard fans can at least rest comfortably knowing that this Blu-ray's lossless mix is a solid step up from its Dolby Digital DVD counterpart.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras.

The Fastest Gun Alive Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed art and no inserts of any kind. The extras are mostly more pre-show entertainment than film-specific, but how can you be mad at two Tom and Jerry shorts?

• Blue Cat Blues (6:47) - The first of two included Cinemascope Tom and Jerry shorts, this is the infamous one where Tom decides to end it all as Jerry narrates his failed attempts to win Butch's gold-digging girlfriend. It's a harsh reminder of why simping is for beta cucks and, as a bonus, is one of the rare occasions where Jerry speaks to the audience. More memorable than good, I believe this one's new to Blu-ray and looks great.

• Down Beat Bear (6:23) - Despite its title, this thankfully more jovial short follows an escaped bear that can't stop, won't stop dancing, despite Tom's best efforts. A fun short that's about as close to "core memory" as it gets for this era of animation and, much like Blue Cat Blues, it's been restored for the Blu-ray debut.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:00) - This surprisingly epic promotional piece can also be seen here.

The Fastest Gun Alive Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Russell Rouse's The Fastest Gun Alive is a mostly engaging Western drama with solid performances and a decent core story... and I didn't even mention the show-stealing dance number by Russ Tamblyn, which can't be watched just once. But it's also padded at critical moments, a clear reminder of its adaptation from an hour-long TV episode. That doesn't sink the ship but it does make a potentially great movie just "good", or in this case good enough. Warner Archive's Blu-ray is a fan-pleasing effort whose top-tier restoration makes this a disc with owning. Recommended.