7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
Taw Jackson returns from prison having survived being shot, to the ranch and gold that Frank Pierce stole from him. Jackson makes a deal with Lomax, the man who shot him 5 years ago to join...
Starring: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Robert Walker Jr., Keenan WynnWestern | 100% |
Heist | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The teaming of stars Kirk Douglas and John Wayne carries a surplus of masculinity. 1967’s “The War Wagon” is their third and final pairing, after “In Harm’s Way” and “Cast a Giant Shadow,” and it’s a film that perhaps extracts the purest expression of screen charisma from the actors, who contribute beefy appeal to a routine western that concerns a heist scenario. Everyone else just looks small in the feature, though the ensemble contribution is quite valuable to the picture, which has use for a range of reactions that shy away from the confidence Wayne and Douglas project. Directed by Burt Kennedy (who remained in the western genre for years to come, but also helmed “Suburban Commando”), “The War Wagon” has all the highlights a genre enthusiast could ask for: gunfights, a bar brawl, a runaway wagon, acts of nostril-flaring intimidation, and a bridge explosion. While dramatically the movie is missing a rich understanding of motivation, the surface delights of the effort are handled with care, allowing plenty of room to explore western traditions and allow the leading men an opportunity to trade barbs and suspicions as they attempt to out barrel-chest each other (spoiler: Douglas wins).
The VC-1 encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation does feature some traditional Universal catalog filtering, resulting in sporadic haloing. The picture looks smooth and clean, lacking a fine touch of grain, but it's a restrained image, not an overtly waxy one. Colors are largely as intended with some minor fade, and hues are quite welcome with costuming efforts that find Wayne in a salmon shirt and Douglas boasting a yellow neckerchief, offering a few focal points beyond greenery, deserts, and set dressing particulars. Fine detail is satisfactory with meaty close-ups and western expanse. Blacks are deep but rarely tested outside of a few evening excursions, bringing welcome definition. The print is in good shape, with only some speckling to endure, without any major damage to distract.
Surprisingly rough is the 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix for "The War Wagon." Dialogue exchanges aren't clean and tidy, hit with a crackly quality that sounds strained, with extremes in highs and lows really exposing limitations to the track. While this instability isn't welcome, it doesn't wash out the mix entirely, with performances remaining intelligible and scoring showing its intended foundation. Atmospherics are generally defined and communicative, while action excursions bring out pronounced gunfire and chaotic wagon destruction.
"The War Wagon" has a few laughs (one with Taw and Lomax, who remained armed even while in their underwear), some unsteady stereotypes (the Kiowas show more interest in booze than gold), and features a rousing opening theme from Ed Ames. There's much to enjoy about the film, especially when it moves into its final act, where the particulars of the heist, featuring nitroglycerine explosions and an enemy Gatling gun, are revealed in full, allowing Kennedy to bring out exciting stunt sequences that have Taw and Lomax crawling all over the wagon. It's a surge of excitement "The War Wagon" is in need of, delivering big on audience-pleasing chases and wrecks while utilizing the physical presence of Wayne and Douglas in full. The screen titans make for an inviting pair of dangerous men in the movie, instilling the production with the proper amount of poise, threat, and swagger it needs to separate itself from a crowded field of nondescript westerns.
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