The Movie
Last week I had the great pleasure of reviewing the 35th Anniversary digi-book edition of The Outlaw Josey Wales. Fifteen years before this evolutionary tale however, the brightest star in Hollywood was making a very different kind of Western. In The Comancheros, John Wayne stars as Big Jake Cutter, a Texas Ranger so damned manly that the screen can barely contain him.
It's 1843 and Jake strikes up a reluctant, uneasy friendship with a Southern dandy who knows how to handle a pistol. Together they pose as gunrunners in order to infiltrate the Comancheros, a secret criminal society that supplies the Comanche with stolen guns and more, furthering the Indians' bloodthirsty rampage across Texas.
The movie, co-directed by The Duke himself, takes a culturally-sensitive moment to explain that not all Indians are alike, but really it is the sort of broad cowboy adventure that mainstream audiences had come to expect by the early '60s, with a sense of humor and a bit of romance too. There are heroes, villains and lots of shooting, including a final battle that epitomizes the great Westerns.
The Picture
Despite a high-bitrate AVC presentation on this dual-layer disc, averaging a reported 36 megabits-per-second, the 2.35:1 CinemaScope image is slightly soft and marred by frequent instances of both grain and noise. Darks too are problematic, as when a black cowboy hat disappears completely into the shadowy wall behind it. The desert colors are pretty but not lush, although occasionally fine details can be discerned in well-lit shots.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a respectable if restrained accompaniment. The rears are active with rain in one scene, and the soundfield might be graced with the exaggerated popping of a cork or some pronounced action beats when fists or furniture start flying. Bass presence is healthy throughout. Also included on the disc is a Dolby Digital 4.0 version of the classic theatrical mix.
The Extras
There are a couple of nifty-new (copyright 2010) high-definition special features on this 50th anniversary Blu-ray, which is packaged inside one of those neat little photo-/fact-packed digibooks. "The Comancheros and the Battle for the American Southwest" (24 minutes) adds fascinating historical context, while the two-part "The Duke at Fox" (40-and-a-half) illuminates the star's successful run at the studio.
There's also a wonderful twelve-minute audio interview with actor Stuart Whitman, over a still photo. A vintage Comancheros comic cook is reproduced on screen, for us to flip through via the remote, after a video introduction which explains the different ending. Rounding out the set are an audio commentary by Whitman and his co-stars Nehemiah Persoff, Michael Ansara and Patrick Wayne, plus a one-minute Movietone News segment (in SD) about the singer and composer of the film's title tune being honored for their work.
Final Thoughts
Extras aside, the Blu-ray of The Comancheros is somewhat lackluster, an enjoyable if not marvelous audio/video rendition of one of John Wayne's biggest adventures.
Product Details
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