Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Ride Back Blu-ray Movie Review

A first-rate Western classic.

The Ride Back is an entertaining action-packed Western adventure. The film is produced by the prolific William Conrad (My Blood Runs Cold, Two on a Guillotine). Set against a Western backdrop, The Ride Back takes place around the Mexican border. Featuring excellent performances by William Conrad alongside Anthony Quinn, Western fans will want to check out the classic duo in this fun film.

Texas Marshal Chris Hamish (William Conrad) is sent down to Mexico in order to bring back the convicted criminal Bob Kallen (Anthony Quinn) and to bring out justice. Yet things don’t go down as planned and Hamish finds himself joining forces with the criminal, Kallen. The duo pair up against a murderous group of Apache Indians. Can Kallen find a chance to redeem himself or is it too late for freedom?

The performances are central to the success of The Ride Back. Anthony Quinn is perfect as the criminal Bob Kallen. The role is a perfect fit for the actor and he sinks his teeth in to the role. The part is a great showcase for his acting chops and the slick style of the actor. William Conrad is impressive as the Texas Marshal as well (delivering a strong performance with an abundance of cool). The performers play well together and the end results are impressive.

The production benefits from excellent art direction by William Glasgow (Curse of the Faceless Man, It! The Terror from Beyond Space). The art direction helps the Western setting to seem all the more real and authentic. The efforts by Glasgow certainly make a solid impression. A outstanding effort and something that makes the Western element of the production all the more entertaining.

The costumes by Oscar Rodriguez (The Phantom Planet, The Magic Sword) are worthwhile and are a good fit for the production. The costumes seem perfectly designed for the central protagonists. An excellent effort and one that highlights the talents of Rodriguez. The outfit for Texas Marshal Chris Hamish is convincing as is the design for criminal Bob Kallen. The costumes make the roles all the more impressive.

The score composed by Frank De Vol (The Dirty Dozen, Kiss Me Deadly) is one of the best elements of the film. The music certainly enhances the experience and provides the filmmaking with an energetic background. The score is a great fit for the Western genre and it builds the tempo for the action. Thrilling.

The cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc (It's a Wonderful Life, Escape from the Planet of the Apes) is outstanding. The black and white cinematography makes a wonderful impression and the filmmaking is all the more entertaining as a result. The results are stunning. A sleek, evocative, and highly stylized black and white film.

The screenplay by Antony Ellis (Gunsmoke, Black Saddle) provides a solid balance of excitement and drama. The film explores these characters as well as the surprisingly scenarios they find themselves within. The script has good dialogue and the characterizations simply work. A solid effort by Ellis.

Directed by Allen H. Miner (Chubasco, Riverboat), The Ride Back is a must-see classic Western. The film has incredible vistas and the pace is spot-on. Director Miner brings forth great performances from the cast. A solid effort and one that helps build to a satisfying conclusion. Well worth experiencing.

The Ride Back Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The Ride Back is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition. According to IMDB, the original aspect ratio for The Ride Back is 1.37:1 full frame and other sources also indicate the same. However, the presentation is presented in a widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

Everything looks excellent in widescreen with exceptional framing of the image. If the image was opened up from the full-frame ratio, the results are surprisingly excellent on the release. Nothing seems out of order with the widescreen framing and the filmic presentation looks superb on this release. This is a beautiful transfer and it retains a nice and filmic aesthetic.

The Ride Back Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio quality on the release is excellent. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear on the presentation. The release has surprisingly good fidelity for the age of the source material. The track is clear and doesn't suffer from egregious hiss and other forms of audio degradation.

The Ride Back Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Man from Del Rio Trailer (HD, 2:12)

The Ride Back Trailer (HD, 2:21)

Across 110^th Street Trailer (HD, 2:59)

The Destructors Trailer (SD, 2:51)

The Greek Tycoon Trailer (HD, 2:24)

The Passage Trailer (SD, 3:28)

The Ride Back Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Ride Back is an entertaining Western. The filmmaking is top-notch and there is a lot to appreciate about the film. Well lensed by cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc (It's a Wonderful Life) and directed by Allen H. Miner (Riverboat), The Ride Back is an invigorating film and one that audiences won't want to miss. The Blu-ray release features a strong high-definition presentation and lossless audio. The release is well worth seeing. Recommended.