Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Wild Rovers Blu-ray Movie Review

They shoot sheep, don't they?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 16, 2022

Blake Edwards' Western detour Wild Rovers marked the beginning of a messy fallout with MGM: soon after Edwards turned in his original near three-hour cut of the film, studio head James T. Aubrey and executive VP Douglas Netter -- no strangers to alienating directors during a rocky period in the studio's history -- hastily cut about one-third of Wild Rovers to appease preview audiences. (Edwards' next film The Carey Treatment was similarly tampered with, but to a much lesser extent.) Known mostly for Breakfast at Tiffany's and his numerous comedies -- including of course The Pink Panther and its sequel, A Shot in the Dark, as well as The Great Race -- Edwards' take on the material was a tonally choppy blend of pathos, humor, and gut-wrenching seriousness that rarely finds sure footing.

That's not to say it doesn't have several strong points, including fine cinematography and an outstanding original score by Jerry Goldsmith. And, of course, the lead performance by William Holden (The Wild Bunch, Network), whose turn as aging cowboy Ross Bodine is at least an emotionally solid anchor for what amounts to a somewhat thin and padded story. Together with a fellow wrangler half his age, Frank Post (Ryan O'Neal, still hot from the previous year's massively popular romantic drama Love Story), Bodine trades in honest but low-paying work for a bank robbery, largely fueled by damage at a local saloon that their boss, Walt Buckman (Karl Malden, Baby Doll), orders them to pay back. Making off with $36,000 (less a $3,000 sympathy payout for their fellow ranch hands), the rogue Bodine and Post are eventually but doggedly pursued by Buckman's sons Paul (Joe Don Baker, GoldenEye) and John (Tom Skerritt, Alien).

These are all sufficient ingredients for a good quality deconstructive Western, yet Wild Rovers often comes across as either too imitative of previous films (Ride the High Country, as well as other work by Sam Peckinpah) or more than a little self-indulgent, with a pace that's often punishingly slow and more than a little confusing. Some of these criticisms are, of course, almost unavoidable due to the iron fist of studio interference, but it would take more than a little spit and polish to wring a truly effective film out of this fitfully great but mostly lukewarm production.

Unfortunately it's impossible to separate what is from what could have been, but luckily a reasonably close facsimile has been available on home video on several different occasions, including Warner Archive's 2019 Blu-ray edition. Much of the excised footage has been re-inserted back into the film, with other elements -- such as its studio-enforced happy ending -- removed entirely. There's even low-res title cards for Goldsmith's original overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music, although its longer running time of 137 minutes -- hardly long enough to warrant a bathroom break -- suggests there's still footage missing. And if for some reason you have nostalgic memories of the butchered theatrical version, good luck: it's not included here but, under the circumstances, that's probably a good thing.

Although many non-boutique labels wouldn't even release Wild Rovers in today's cooler home video climate, there are clear positives and negatives to Warner Archive's Blu-ray. This 1080p transfer, while admirable considering its source material, shows some room for improvement and the lack of extras will gnaw at fans like portions of the main feature. But all things considered, it's a still a decent disc and obviously builds upon the studio's own 2011 DVD.

Wild Rovers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original Cinemascope aspect ratio, Warner Archive's Blu-ray presentation of Wild Rovers gives the film's cinematography its due with a largely polished restoration that, while often impressive, isn't exactly consistent at every turn. Of course the state of its rescued source material may be partly to blame but, even within those loose boundaries, most of Wild Rovers' dimly-lit and nighttime sequences are absolutely bathed in noise and excess grain that severely hamper image detail and depth. Of course I'd prefer too many speckles to a transfer riddled with digital noise reduction or other hasty post-processing and, if nothing else, the picture is still very clean. However, I feel that this grain or noise could have been better managed to arrive at a more comfortable middle ground. Still, there are ample standout scenes in other areas: those shot in midday and "the magic hour", of course, where fine detail and textures are clearly visible and skin tones, while obviously a bit sun-baked, look accurate. I've tried to capture a mixture of these moments with this review's screenshots, but bear in mind that certain noisier scenes look slightly better in-motion and some, believe it or not, actually look a little worse. Overall, though, Warner Archive's Blu-ray easily earns passing marks, if only due to its clear advancements upon the boutique label's older DVD. Bottom line: die-hard fans will approve.

Wild Rovers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio is a more cut-and-dried, combining a mostly narrow sound field with much wider breadth for Jerry Goldsmith's rousing original score, which includes the excellent title theme with vocals by his daughter Ellen (credited as "Ellen Smith"). Despite the shifting width of these elements, Wild Rovers feels like a largely seamless sonic experience where only a few moments feel like they could have benefited from discrete or panning effects. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout, and no obvious sync issues or other defects could be heard along the way.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, albeit in ALL CAPS like other Warner Archive Blu-rays released during that time period. I'm probably not alone in being grateful that period is behind us.

Wild Rovers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork. The minimal bonus features are ported over from previous releases, including Warner Archive's own 2011 DVD.

• The Movie Makers (12:11) - This promotional short offers a brief behind-the-scenes look during the filming of Wild Rovers, combining on-set footage with narration and a few audio interview clips with star William Holden. Directed by Ronald Saland and written by Jay Anson (who would later work together on The Amityville Horror, of all things), it's an interesting little time capsule that seems amiable enough... if you completely ignore the film's post-production debacle, of course. Fine for what it is, but I'd trade it for something more revealing.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:14) - This rousing but ultimately deceptive promo piece can also be seen here.

Wild Rovers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Blake Edwards' Wild Rovers is the only Western in his filmography and, while it's clearly not a total misfire, the film was crippled by last-minute studio interference that fatally affected its pacing, characters, and emotional scope. Even in this somewhat restored version, which has been available on home video before, Wild Rovers is still patchy and uneven but not without its share of shining moments. Warner Archive's welcome Blu-ray advances on those earlier releases with a decently polished 1080p transfer, although its disappointing lack of candid extras won't exactly win over anyone left a little cold by the main feature. Wild Rovers is still recommended, but for established fans only.