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Last Train From Gun Hill Blu-ray Review

“Last Train From Gun Hill” is a deeply underrated western.

In 1959’s “Last Train From Gun Hill,” the story revolves around a Marshal (Matt) who seeks justice (and perhaps revenge) against the men responsible for the vicious and brutal rape and murder of his wife. Upon investigating the savage crime, he discovers that the son (Rick) of an old friend turned cattle baron (Craig) is one of the men responsible. Matt travels to the town of Gun Hill to capture Rick, but Craig refuses to cooperate. To make matters worse, Craig has a large presence in Gun Hill and, as such, has many men backing him up which makes Matt’s job all the more difficult. Moreover, Matt has to try and hold Rick before the train comes to Gun Hill. Can Matt defy the odds and arrest Rick or will he die trying?

“Last Train From Gun Hill” is one of those great westerns that has been overlooked since its release. Thanks to the Paramount Presents line of Blu-ray releases, the film is finally getting the attention that it so richly deserves.

While the premise may be simple on the surface, “Last Train From Gun Hill” is an engrossing and dark character drama that explores topics that are sadly still relevant today such as racism and toxic masculinity. The top tier performances by acting giants Kirk Douglas (Matt) and Anthony Quinn (Craig) give the film a real intensity as we see 2 friends pitted against one another. Craig is defending his son and family even though he knows his son did wrong while Matt is upholding the law and seeking justice for his late wife. The tension between the two and, indeed, the tension in the story only increases with each passing minute. This is in large part due to the skilled direction by director John Sturges who is certainly no stranger to westerns having helmed classics like “The Magnificent Seven” and “Gunfight At The O.K. Corral.” 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? The film has been given a 6K film transfer from the original VistaVision negative. The result? The Technicolor looks incredibly rich in every frame.

Audio Track: Dolby TrueHD 2.0. How does it sound? Viewers can expect a quality Mono track.

Extras include a Digital copy, trailers for “Last Train From Gun Hill,” “The Black Orchid,” “The Furies,” and “Gunfight At The O.K. Corral,” and the new bonus feature “Filmmaker Focus- Leonard Maltin On Last Train From Gun Hill.”

June 15, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Anthony Quinn, John Sturges, Kirk Douglas, Last Train From Gun Hill Blu-ray Review, Last Train From Gun Hill: Paramount Presents Blu-ray Review, Western Movie