The War Wagon 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The War Wagon 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 29, 2026

Burt Kennedy's "The War Wagon" (1967) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic Tony Roan; new audio commentary by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff; and vintage trailer. In English,with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

We can kill each other -- or get filthy rich. What's your call?

Burt Kennedy’s love for the western was of the most intense, purest kind. When once asked to rationalize it, Kennedy said: “I always like to tell a small story against a big background. Good westerns are that way.”

But some of the westerns Kennedy shot over the years make it rather easy to speculate that he may have been cheating a bit. These westerns share many of the qualities that made the classic film noirs special. The War Wagon is one of these ‘suspicious’ westerns. It needs only a few tweaks, like forcing its characters to trade their cowboy hats and boots for stylish suits and ties and moving its action to an urban environment, to reveal its hidden noirish identity. Then again, this shouldn’t surprise anyone: the western and film noir are the most distinctly American film genres, and until the early 1970s they often complemented each other.

After spending three miserable years in prison, Taw Jackson (John Wayne) returns home to get revenge on Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot), the man who stole his land and gold deposits and then framed him for a crime he did not commit. Jackson’s revenge plan is simple. He will steal a large load of gold dust worth a fortune from The War Wagon, a heavily armored stagecoach operated by the Pierce Mining Company, while surrounded by roughly thirty riflemen, with Pierce in it. However, to steal the gold dust Jackson would need help, which is why he picks up four partners: Lomax (Kirk Douglas), a notoriously fast gunslinger adored by the ladies; Billy Hyat (Robert Walker Jr.), an explosives expert; Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel), an Indian who has learned to live like a white man; and Wes Fletcher (Keenan Wynn), a veteran wagon driver with valuable knowledge of Pierce’s business operations. Jackson promises each one-fifth of the loot -- approximately $100,000. However, completely unaware that The War Wagon is being targeted, Pierce also reaches out to Lomax with a different offer. If Lomax guns down Jackson, Pierce would pay him $10,000 in cash.

Stealing a large load of gold dust from The War Wagon, surrounded by roughly thirty riflemen, is a very risky job, while putting a bullet in Jackson’s head is as easy as ordering a shot of whisky, so Lomax begins evaluating his options. He could play it safe and take Pierce’s money. However, with a bit of luck, he could also get paid by Jackson and Pierce.

Kennedy directs with confidence and passion that are instantly recognizable and pretty impressive. However, The War Wagon is a large-scale project with many moving pieces, each impressive for different reasons. Wayne and Douglas, for instance, clearly feed off each other’s performance, easily making seemingly ordinary material look great. Also, serious and comedic material are brilliantly layered, making the preparations for and the actual robbery equally enjoyable.

The War Wagon is a great visual spectacle, too. Kennedy shot virtually all of it in Mexico, at Sierra de Organos National Park in the state of Zacatecas, famous for its breathtaking volcanic structures and desert landscapes, as well as in the state of Durango, Wayne’s favorite place for westerns. Unsurprisingly, large parts of The War Wagon remind of John Ford’s epic early westerns.

As if to make the connection to film noir impossible to miss, The War Wagon also produces various very effective twists, most of which would have been perfect in a classic caper, like The Asphalt Jungle or The Killing.

The War Wagon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The War Wagon is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided downscaled screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The War Wagon, sourced from the original camera negative and finalized at Universal. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Also, I viewed approximately half of it in 1080p on the Blu-ray.

The 4K restoration is a visual stunner. I pulled out the first Blu-ray release of The War Wagon and performed only a couple of quick comparisons, all from the panoramic footage, because the improvements in quality were everywhere and very big. For example, the dynamic range of the visuals is so much better now, in native 4K and 1080p, that plenty of material from the previous 1080p presentation looks almost unnaturally flat. Delineation, clarity, and depth are also significantly better, though in some areas, the previous 1080p presentation is still quite pleasing. Arguably the most significant improvements were in the color scheme. The 4K restoration boasts exceptionally healthy, lush primaries and supporting nuances, providing all visuals with a frequently breathtaking organic appearance. The upgrade is equally convincing in native 4K and 1080p. Obviously, the expanded color gamut of 4K, with HDR, helps many areas look even lusher. However, I feel that the many strengths of 4K restoration, not just the superior color scheme, are equally easy to appreciate in native 4K and 1080p. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding. I noticed a few small blemishes during the opening credits, but there are no distracting large cuts, marks, debris, warped or torn frames to report.

The War Wagon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

All of the action footage, like the very busy one from the saloon and the outdoor battles, sounded great on my system. I thought that dynamic intensity and contrasts were excellent for a film from the late 1960s. Similarly, the dialogue was always clear, stable, and easy to follow. I did not notice unevenness in any areas. The upper register, where older films tend to reveal weaknesses, is very stable and healthy.

The War Wagon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Toby Roan, whose area of expertise is the classic American western. I always find his commentaries very informative, and this new one for The War Wagon continues the trend. Roan shares plenty of factual information about the conception, production, and reception of The War Wagon, its style and tone, and the careers of Burt Kennedy and various cast members. Also, Roan has some interesting comments about the evolution of the western.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Toby Roan, whose area of expertise is the classic American western. I always find his commentaries very informative, and this new one for The War Wagon continues the trend. Roan shares plenty of factual information about the conception, production, and reception of The War Wagon, its style and tone, and the careers of Burt Kennedy and various cast members. Also, Roan has some interesting comments about the evolution of the western.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The War Wagon. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The War Wagon.

The War Wagon 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Too many westerns share plenty of the qualities that make the classic film noirs special, and Burt Kennedy's The War Wagon is one of them. This shouldn't be surprising, because the two are the most distinctly American film genres, and until the early 1970s they often complemented each other. While it is easy to declare that The War Wagon is a great film because it unites two of old Hollywood's greatest character actors, there is plenty more in it that is pretty impressive, like the breathtaking panoramic footage from the Mexican states of Zacatecas and Durango. Kino Lorber's combo pack presents an outstanding new 4K restoration, prepared at Universal. The same 4K restoration is also made available on a standalone Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.