The Last Hunt Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

The Last Hunt Blu-ray Movie Review

Dances with Buffaloes.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 8, 2026

NOTE: This Blu-ray from Warner Archive unfortunately fell through the cracks upon its 2018 release, but it's still available on its own or also as part of the boutique label's new Robert Taylor 4-Film Collection.

Adapted and directed by Richard Brooks, The Last Hunt is an unusually grim Western with strong central characters, great performances to match, and a stop-and-start level of tension than tightens at a moment's notice. Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger star as opposing forces on a "dream team" of buffalo hunters in the late 19th century; it's a time when big money was to be had for pelts, but unregulated killing led to dwindling herds and fierce conflicts with Native Americans who relied on the animal for food, warmth, and even religious rituals. Simply put, the team's short-lived success would give way to internal and external conflicts that result in the deaths of men and beasts.

This efficient and totally linear tale begins with a chance meeting between Charles Gilson (Taylor) and Sandy McKenzie (Granger); both have been affected by war, but in opposite ways. Charles is unmatched with a gun, enjoys killing, and has a thirst for easy money, whereas Sandy is weary of violence and, despite his success as a buffalo hunter during the last several years, is ready to hang up his hat. Charles convinces him to join forces and they also recruit the proficient skinner "Woodfoot" (Lloyd Nolan), who's nicknamed for his missing leg; Sandy also brings in half-Native American teenager Jimmy O'Brien (Russ Tamblyn) to the disgust of Charles, who wants nothing to do with his kind.

Believe it or not, the unsteady team eventually finds success despite their occasionally intense personal differences. Buffaloes are slain with reckless abandon and encounters with natives turn deadly as well. Charles gleefully guns down a raiding party and almost shows a shred of humanity when he can't bring himself to kill a young native woman (Debra Paget) and her son, taking them along instead. He shows his true colors by routinely having his way with her, whereas the more compassionate Sandy tries to treat her with respect and even entertains her little boy. Unsurprisingly, though, this personal conflict -- as well as the acquisition of a rare and valuable white buffalo hide -- only fuels the paranoia and recklessness of Charles. This leads to multiple threats of violence and stand-offs, one of which involves a visiting native friend of Jimmy. Yet through it all, their inventory balloons and it's soon time to cash in... but while the money is yet another tipping point for Charles, the biggest of all will be when there aren't any more buffaloes to kill.

An intense personal drama that could just have easily been about the Union and Confederacy (and is still relevant in accordance with their modern equivalents), The Last Hunt is an engaging and surprisingly forward-thinking production that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve. Robert Taylor's steely turn as the deeply unlikable Charles is anything but a glamorous one while Granger's Sandy is a veritable Boy Scout, and the variety of conflicts that drive these two men further apart fall right in line with viewer expectations. The supporting roles are cast exceptionally well with one major exception: Debra Paget's unnamed Native American woman, since she's essentially performing in brownface and this creates confusion as to her potential identity. Yet everyone plays their parts well enough and the drama unfolds with precision, from The Last Hunt's steady but confident first act to its suspenseful, icy conclusion.

Special attention should also be given to the excellent cinematography by Russell Harlan, which was largely shot on location in Black Hills, South Dakota, as well as the effective original score by prolific composer Daniele Amfitheatrof, who would only work on four more films in his career. Both these audio and visual elements are given great support by Warner Archive in this Blu-ray edition, even though the boutique label was not yet given full access to original source materials at this point in their existence. So whether you purchase this disc on its own or as part of the recent Robert Taylor 4-Film Collection linked above, The Last Hunt is a durably entertaining film worth seeking out.

The Last Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Hunt was restored to the best of Warner Archive's ability in 2018, considering the boutique label was not yet able to work from original camera negatives (or conduct 4K scans) at this point in their existence. According to a very reliable source, the best available source element was a high-quality interpositive made from The Last Hunt's original negative in the late 1990s, which was scanned in 2K and treated to a round of careful manual cleanup. The end result is routinely impressive to a high degree and showcases the stellar on-location footage captured in South Dakota, which is only interrupted by a handful of dodgy "day for night" scenes and low-light sequences that do battle with increased grain and noise levels. Remarkably, though, it's a decently consistent presentation even during a few more challenging moments, such as the opening buffalo stampede and its accompanying walls of dust, which are encoded smoothly and don't suffer from any obvious signs of macro blocking or other compression artifacts. In fact, the only possible hiccup occurs at exactly 96:57 (screenshot #21), where a plume of smoke near a cave entrance features odd blue speckling that goes away almost as quickly as it arrives. This is still an overwhelmingly good transfer under the circumstances, although the boutique label's increased vault access would surely produce an even better result today.

The Last Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is likewise sourced from less-than-perfect elements, but this was again no fault of the boutique label: The Last Hunt's original four-track magnetic masters had long since succumbed to age-related deterioration, and thus the best-available source was a two-channel mix thankfully created from the original masters at an earlier point in time. Even limited to just two channels, this is an active and very dynamic mix at times, one that carries plenty of weight at crucial moments and helps to sell the film's more suspenseful and action-packed sequences. Dialogue remains clear and crisp, stock and on-location effects sound good, and the original score gets plenty of support as well, which means this is closer to a definitive audio presentation -- at least under the circumstances -- since a "second attempt" by the boutique label would likely lead to similar if not identical results. Simply put, it sounds great.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles -- of the ALL CAPS variety, as Warner Archive was still doing back in 2018 -- are included during the main feature only, not the bonus features listed below.

The Last Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover art and a few era-specific extras.

• MGM Parade TV Promo #1 (3:32) - Young Russ Tamblyn shows off his acrobatic skills and talks about his character "Jimmy" before showing off an early scene from the finished film in black-and-white.

• MGM Parade TV Promo #2 (7:45) - MGM head of production (as well as the film's producer) Dore Schary and writer/director Richard Brooks take turns dodging interview questions before introducing this black-and-white featurette about The Last Hunt's locations and shooting in Black Hills, South Dakota.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:46) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

The Last Hunt Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Richard Brooks' The Last Hunt remains a strong effort from the director, who also wrote its screenplay based on Milton Loft's eponymous novel, as it's carried by personal conflicts that are more relevant than ever 70 years later. The dual lead performances by Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger are outstanding, while the cinematography and original score (as well as its excellent sound design) offer a great deal of sensory support that's bolstered by Warner Archive's reliably solid restoration efforts. Although this Blu-ray was originally available for purchase almost eight years ago, it's still very much available on its own but is also part of the boutique label's new Robert Taylor 4-Film Collection. I'd recommend the latter if you're a fan of the actor or looking to save shelf space, but you can't go wrong either way.