Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Urban Cowboy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 9, 2020

A mechanical bull is in the middle of flesh-and-blood romance in Urban Cowboy, Director James Bridges' (The China Syndrome) Honky Tonk love story between man and woman and mankind and machine. The film follows the ebbs and flows of infatuation turned to love turned to wedlock, leading to a marriage of tests and trials with the bull, and another man, in the middle. The film is dramatically robust, strongly performed, and plays to the tune of a legendary soundtrack that altogether yield a gem of a movie about holding on to what's important, even when bumps and bucking threaten to bring it all tumbling down.

Bud Davis (John Travolta) is looking for a new start in Houston’s booming oil industry. He lands a job at a refinery where his uncle Bob (Barry Corbin) is a longtime employee. But it’s not the job that will direct his future. Instead it’s Gilley’s, the world’s largest Honky Tonk that nightly entertains thousands of dancing and drinking cowboys and cowgirls. One of those cowgirls is Sissy Davis (Debra Winger). She takes a liking to Bud and the two become involved in a steamy romance that quickly turns to marriage. When Bud becomes infatuated with the club’s mechanical bull, he finds an enemy -- and romantic competition for his wife -- in parolee Wes Hightower (Scott Glenn), a good looking cowboy who’s a natural on the bull. Bud is left fighting Wes for his pride and for his wife with a large mechanical bull riding cash prize up for grabs.

There’s some genuine symbolism at play throughout the film with that mechanical bull that’s central to the story. It represents both freedom and control, both individually and sexually. For these characters, riding is a symbol of power and allure. It represents a curious pinnacle of excellence, showcasing not just physical stamina but, for these people, almost serving like a mating call. The ride, and witnessing it, is also akin to a drug, both promoting the same high but with a different means of getting there. It’s also representative of life itself: it’s turbulent and intense, an unpredictable ride, often playing out with another’s hands on the controls, and about the only thing one can do it hold on tight and get back up for another go-round.

The production design is superior because the film was shot authentically on location at Gilley's. One can practically taste the beer and smell the smoke. The atmosphere is palpable in every shot, whether huddled around the bar, spread out on the dance floor, or crowded around the mechanical bull. And as the "world's largest Honky-Tony," there's plenty of room for the cameras to soak it all in and for the actors to work their magic in all facets of Gilley's nightlife and, of course, to express the topsy-turvy romance and hard-hitting drama that follows them. Travolta is quite believable as Bud, not because he looks good in Western attire but because he understands the character's emotional upheavals and Bud's responses to the positive and negative stimulus he receives inside the bar and, later, outside of it. Winger is strong as the love interest caught between Bud and Wes, and it's Scott Glenn who steals the show as the confident mechanical bull rider who focuses like a laser on Sissy from the moment he sees even a single kink in the armorer revealing her vulnerability as a young wife who hastily jumped into marriage. The drama is not so interesting; it's everything around it -- the setting, the music -- that really make the movie sing.

Urban Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Urban Cowboy's 1080p transfer is imperfect but largely fine. There are some errant, lingering spots and speckles seen throughout the picture. Grain is inconsistent; some scenes appear naturally filmic while others appear a little smoothed over and flat. On the whole, the better far outweighs the bad, resulting in a perfectly presentable image, even if it's a far cry from the finest remasters on the market from the same vintage. There are some photographically inherent softer corners around the frame. Primary element detail is solid, yielding good command of essential faces and clothes, though nothing that is particularly noteworthy for a Blu-ray released in 2020. Interiors around Gilley's don't find much more than essential reproduction, like signage, woods, and the worn mattresses around the mechanical bull. Colors are not particularly bold, favoring a fairly flat, uninteresting output, particularly in low light Gilley's interiors but also in better lit scenes, such as when Bud is at the job site during the day. Essential clothing tones and skin elements are by-and-large fine. Black levels are deep but teeter on crush at times. This is not a transfer that makes a statement, but it is the best the film has ever looked for home consumption. Fans will be left wanting more, but as it is this is not a bad image by any stretch; just a rather pedestrian one.

Urban Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Urban Cowboy rides onto Blu-ray on the back of a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The swingin' Honky Tonk music plays with excellent front side width and volume over the opening titles, a feisty, energetic start to the movie that sets the tone for what's to come. Music is the movie's lifeblood, with each song reflecting a scene's mood and dramatic stance. Vitality is first-rate and clarity is solid, too. These vintage tunes just dance out of the speakers, and while clarity is not absolute, it's close. Light atmospherics around Gilley's, Bud's job site, and other locations is not quite so sonically interesting and engaging, but the minor background supports, heard in both the front and rear channels, do demonstrate essential command of location specifics. A few action effects, like landing punches, present with enough oomph to support the moment but not quite so much as to reveal lifelike reproduction. Dialogue is generally clear and well defined, though there are some unevenly pitched exchanges here and there. Center placement and prioritization are just fine.

Urban Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Urban Cowboy's Blu-ray includes a retrospective featurette, deleted scenes, outtakes, and rehearsal footage. A digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Good Times with Gilley: Looking Back at Urban Cowboy (1080p, 15:10): Mickey Gilley looks back at his career, his bar, the movie, the music, and more.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4x3, 8:02 total runtime): Included are Your Folks Didn't Like Me, Did They?; Rent's Free, Can't Beat That; I Guess I Better Find Myself Another Job; and How Come I Ain't Seen Ya At Gilley's?.
• Outtakes (480i, 4:08 total runtime): Included are John Travolta and Debra Winger Dancing and John Travolta Dancing.
• Rehearsal Footage (480i, 4:05 total runtime): Included are Debra Winger on Mechanical Bull, John Travolta on Mechanical Bull, and Travolta and Winger on Mechanical Bull.

Urban Cowboy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Urban Cowboy is a fine film that explores human drive and sexuality within the context of good old down-home music. Travolta, Winger, and Glenn are great in the lead roles, the tunes are classics, and the setting is as genuine as it gets. Paramount's Blu-ray is hardly a revelation, but the picture quality is as good as one has ever seen in the home, the soundtrack is great, and the extras are fairly good in quality, though quantity is slightly lacking. Recommended.