The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The War Wagon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 29, 2026

Burt Kennedy's "The War Wagon" (1967) arrives on 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-A "locked".

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The War Wagon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The War Wagon, sourced from the original camera negative and finalized at Universal. The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release.

In America, The War Wagon made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release, produced by Universal in 2014. I have it in my library and used it to perform a few quick comparisons. I focused on the outdoor panoramic footage. Everywhere I looked, the improvements in quality were dramatic. Delineation, clarity, and depth are outstanding now, and the dynamic range of the restored visuals is predictably great. However, arguably the biggest improvements are in the area of color reproduction. The vastly better and healthier primaries and supporting nuances give the restored visuals a breathtaking organic appearance. I was enormously impressed with the transformation, both when viewed in 1080p and native 4K on the 4K Blu-ray, because it makes it possible to experience The War Wagon in an entirely new way. 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. (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 War Wagon 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.

I viewed approximately half of the new4K restoration of The War Wagon in 1080p on the Blu-ray, and the rest in native 4K on the 4K Blu-ray. The comments below are from our review of the combo pack release.

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 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 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 Blu-ray release presents an outstanding new 4K restoration, prepared at Universal. The same 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.