The Texas Rangers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Texas Rangers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 22, 2026

King Vidor's "The Texas Rangers" (1936) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Toby Roan; exclusive new audio commentary by mystery writer and filmmaker Max Allan Collins and critic and podcaster Heath Holland; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

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“A thousand miles from El Paso, to the border of Louisiana, a thousand miles from the Gulf, along the winding, colorful waters of the Rio Grande, from Mexico to the Panhandle… Texas. Across this vast empire moved first the shaggy buffalo and then cattle in the great herds, raiding red men and marauding white men, and later, as the 19th century was nearing its end, the settlers who had established themselves in this frontier wilderness were beset by desperados and outlaws, and it was in order to make life safe, to ensure prosperity and progress, that early in the American occupation of Texas, an organization known as the Texas Rangers was formed. Throughout their history, the Rangers have been men of exceptional character, unyielding courage, rare physical endurance, hard riding, fast shooting. Their service was to a state they loved. For an ideal, they were willing to give up their lives, and gladly. To the Texas Rangers, this picture is dedicated.”

After this passionate yet faithful introduction of the Rangers, King Vidor’s film very quickly evolves into a most curious western with a flexible identity. It undoubtedly honors the Rangers, but in a surprising, most authentic manner.

Somewhere in the heart of Texas, while pretending to be a seasoned whip, Wahoo Jones (Jack Oakie) leads a nice-looking coach straight to his masked outlaw buddies Jim Hawkins (Fred MacMurray) and Sam McGee (Lloyd Nolan). After all travelers are separated from their valuables and the two masked outlaws disappear, Jones curses his luck and assures everyone that sooner or later they will be captured and face justice. However, before the day is over, Jones reunites with Hawkins and McGee, and they split the loot. Then, much to their surprise, they are forced to abandon the loot and run away from soldiers who have tracked them down. Jones and Hawkins stick together, while McGee chooses a different way out.

In the days ahead, Jones and Hawkins, both penniless, decide to join the Rangers and share inside information with McGee so that they can expand their grift. Initially, the plan seems like a terrific idea, and Jones and Hawkins both enjoy the perks that come with calling themselves Rangers. However, after clashing with several Indian tribes that have gone on the warpath, and witnessing the death of fellow Rangers who have tried to protect them, Jones and Hawkins begin taking their duties seriously. Having earned a reputation, Hawkins is then asked to pick a few men and rid the area of the dangerous Polka Dot Bandit, whom Jones and Hawkins instantly realize is McGee, their old outlaw buddy.

Approximately half of Vidor’s film produces breathtaking visuals of the kind that one would expect to see in John Ford’s early westerns. However, plenty of ordinary footage was also shot at the Paramount Ranch, and trained eyes would easily tell.

The complete film is something of a minor masterpiece because the leads sell the environment of their characters in the best possible way. For example, Oakie and MacMurray feed off each other’s energy and easily convince that as Texas was trying to impose law and order, the Rangers were constantly gambling their lives in many, often quite strange, assignments. (The rapid swings between comedy and drama are very effective for this). Also, the film correctly acknowledges that as the Rangers expanded their numbers, an old culture and a way of life, represented by McGee, had to be confronted head-on.

Vidor’s director of photography was Edward Cronjager, who lensed Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait and Jacques Tourneur’s Canyon Passage.

The Texas Rangers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Texas Rangers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Texas Rangers, a collaboration between Universal Pictures and The Film Foundation. he 4K restoration is fantastic. While in a few areas small density and clarity fluctuations remain -- there are some native fluctuations introduced by the panoramic inserts with the Rangers as well -- the overall quality of the visuals ranges from excellent to outstanding. Multiple close-ups look particularly striking. The grayscale is managed very well, too. Blacks are lush but do not crush, while grays and whites are wonderfully balanced. Considering that The Texas Rangers was completed in 1936, the consistency of the grayscale is as impressive as great detail and depth that large areas of the film convey. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Texas Rangers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

It is instantly obvious that the audio has been properly restored. The Texas Rangers incorporates plenty of music and all of it sounds very healthy. The narration and dialogue are very clear as well. During the action material, the shootouts are clear and in a few areas even produce surprisingly good dynamic contrasts. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Texas Rangers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Toby Roan. I have enjoyed every single commentary Roan has recorded to date because they are always very informative and objective. This new commentary continues the trend. Roan provides plenty of good information about the production of The Texas Rangers, King Vidor's career, the various people that collaborated with him to do the film, etc.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by mystery writer and filmmaker Max Allan Collins and critic and host of the Cereal at Midnight Heath Holland. This is a good commentary, too. I agree with a lot of the comments in it, including the claim that the big clash between the Indian warriors and the Rangers looks like it was extracted from Ben-Hur. Collins and Holland also share numerous small yet very interesting details about different cast members. For example, they point out that Jack Oakie was functionally deaf and had to lip-read, which makes his tremendous performance in The Texas Rangers even more impressive.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for The Texas Rangers. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

The Texas Rangers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

King Vidor's The Texas Rangers frequently dazzles with panoramic visuals like the ones that emerge in John Ford's early westerns. Its characters are even easier to remember than the ones from Ford's westerns. Despite being functionally deaf and having to lip-read, Jack Oakie, in particular, is astonishing as the cheeky outlaw, which is quite an accomplishment given that he is paired with an outstanding Fred MacMurray. I knew that The Texas Rangers was restored by Universal Pictures and The Film Foundation, so I was prepared to see a good presentation of it on Blu-ray. However, I was floored by the quality of the new 4K restoration. I know how The Texas Rangers looked in the past, and this Blu-ray release makes it possible to experience is in an entirely new way. I will be placing it on my Top Ten list at the end of the year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.