Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 20, 2020

Henry King's "The Gunfighter" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new video interview with writer and archivist Gina Telaroli; audio excerpts from archival interviews with Henry King; and more. Also included with the release is an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic K. Austin Collins and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

How 'bout a rye?

In the Southwest of the 1880s the difference between death and glory was often but a fraction of a second. This was the speed that made champions of Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, and Wild Bill Hickok. But the fastest man with a gun who ever lived, by many contemporary accounts, was a long, lean Texan named Ringo.

After the quoted text disappears from the screen, Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) rides into a small western town and enters a popular saloon. Someone recognizes Ringo and a young and cocky cowboy who has had too much to drink decides to find out if he truly is as fast as everyone claims. The challenger draws first, but gets a bullet in his heart. His three brothers then go after the ‘killer’ and meet him in the desert, where they get disarmed and lose their horses. Ringo, fully aware that they will come after him again, heads South.

In Cayenne, Ringo meets former crew member Mark Strett (Millard Mitchell), who has ditched his old habits and become a sheriff. He tells Ringo that he should not have come back because the girl he fell in love with, Peggy Walsh (Helen Westcott), has moved on with her life. But Mark instantly brushes him off. He still loves Peggy and thinks that he could convince her to give him another chance. He is also dying to see his son.

The sheriff agrees to talk to Peggy, who is the only teacher in a tiny school on the outskirts of town, but warns Ringo that he has less than a day before the three brothers reappear. He also tells Ringo not to leave the saloon because there are other people in town that would love to see him dead. Initially, Peggy rejects the sheriff’s invitation to meet Ringo, but later on changes her mind and even arranges that he sees his boy. With time running out, Ringo convinces Peggy that they can start a family in a distant place where no one recognizes him and gives her his word that he will be back in a year to pick her up and the boy. But, on the way out of the saloon, another challenger draws his gun.

It is not easy to argue that Henry King’s The Gunfighter has the same qualities that make Andre De Toth’s Day of the Outlaw look like a film noir trapped inside a classic western, but there are definitely some similarities. For example, The Gunfighter significantly tones down the macho glamour that defined the overwhelming majority of the American westerns after the end of WWII and adds quite a bit of the fatalism that flourishes in Day of the Outlaw. What is missing from the fatalism is the edge, as well as the bleakness that together with it brings in the noir ambience. Furthermore, Peck’s ‘notorious’ gunfighter actually does not look like one. He is an ordinary guy who is trying to walk away from his past but can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Sound familiar? Some of the greatest film noirs have the exact same ordinary guys desperately trying to break free of their dangerous environment. Then there is the feeling that no matter what the different characters say or do fate already has a plan for everyone. Almost exactly the same feeling emerges in Day of the Outlaw where Mother Nature imposes her will on the survivors.

De Toth wrote the original story for The Gunfighter with screenwriter William Bowers, but it is unquestionably King’s vision that ultimately gives the film its identity. The nature of the melodrama in particular makes it very easy to recognize his touch.

Peck looks convincing as the jaded gunfighter who wants to settle down the right way, but again, his appearance isn’t typical. Mitchell is superb and in select sequences actually seems more impressive than Peck. Westcott overemphasizes some of her emotions, which is the main reason why her schoolteacher does not look very convincing.

The Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Gunfighter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This 4K digital restoration was supervised by the Twentieth Century Fox Restoration Department in 2015. A new digital transfer was created from a 35mm duplicate negative and restored at Cineric in New York. The monaural soundtrack was restored from a 35mm soundtrack print at Deluxe in Hollywood."

I projected The Gunfighter and thought that the restoration was outstanding. Indeed, the film looks very, very healthy now, and has all the fine nuances I expected to see. Obviously, there is very little outdoor footage that could have produced spectacular panoramic visuals, but a the indoor footage from the saloons can be quite impressive as well. Depth is very good and I did not see any areas where irreversible age-imperfections might have impacted it. Fluidity is also terrific. Density levels looked great and consistent. The grading is convincing. The blacks are strong but not boosted and there are plenty of healthy gray and white nuances. The entire film looks spotless as well. (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).

The Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not detect any technical anomalies to report in our review. The audio is clear, sharp, and stable. I saw the film during the day and was able to turn up the volume quite a bit and thought that everything sounded as healthy as it should be. If prior to the restoration there were any serious age-related imperfections, it is impossible to tell now. Well done.

The Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gina Telaroli - in this new interview, filmmaker, writer, and archivist Gina Telaroli discusses the tone, visual style, and stylistic identity of The Gunfighter. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• J.E. Smyth - in this new interview, film historian and author of Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood discusses the work and career of editor Barbara McLean, as well as her involvement with The Gunfighter. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• Henry King - presented here are audio excerpts from archival interviews with Henry King conducted by Thomas R. Stempel in January and July 1971. They were recorded as part of the Darryl F. Zanuck Research Project for the American Film Institute's Oral History Collection. The bulk of the content addresses the studio system, King's professional relationship with Zanuck, and the production of The Gunfighter. In English, not subtitled. (36 min, 1080p).

• Barbara McLean - presented here are excerpts from archival interviews with editor Barbara McLean conducted by Thomas R. Stempel in August 1970. They were recorded as part of the Darryl F. Zanuck Research Project for the American Film Institute's Oral History Collection. In English, not subtitled. (34 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring critic K. Austin Collins' essay "You Can't Go Home Again" and technical credits.

The Gunfighter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I detect quite a few noirish undertones in Henry King's The Gunfighter, but there is plenty of adult melodrama that counters them as well. So, it is a strangely atmospheric yet sad western that is not easily forgotten. David Miller's Lonely Are the Brave, which was released a little over a decade later, has a very similar identity, so it could be a terrific companion piece to The Gunfighter. Criterion's new release is sourced from a very solid 4K restoration that was completed by the folks at Twentieth Century Fox. RECOMMENDED.