DVD Corner

Wichita Blu-ray Review

“Wichita” is an underrated western. 

Written by Daniel B. Ullman, 1955’s “Wichita” begins with a Wichita bound Wyatt Earp encountering Clint and his band of cowboys who are leading a cattle herd to Wichita. 2 of Clint’s men try to rob Wyatt which very much sets the tone of what’s to come. Upon arriving in Wichita, Wyatt is looking to start a new business, but is persuaded into becoming a Marshal despite having reservations about the job. Ultimately, it seems like it is calling, but not everyone in town is happy about the way Earp is enforcing the law. Among his naysayers are Clint and company and some local bigwigs who want Earp dead as they feel Earp is a threat to Wichita’s cattle based economy. Elsewhere in the story are subplots involving Wyatt falling for Laurie and a newspaper man (Bat Masterson). 

Director Jacques Tourneur may be most well known for his horror films like “Cat People” and “Night of the Demon,” but the filmmaker also delved into numerous other genres including westerns. “Wichita” is one of the director’s best and least well known films. Hopefully now that it’s being released by Warner Archive it will find a new audience. 

“Wichita” is a simple movie about law and order and actions having consequences, but it’s also a tight and intense story. The film shows the dark side of disorderly conduct and violence. Earp himself actively tries to avoid violence if he can. He wants nothing more than to protect and save people and stop violence from ever occurring.

Speaking of Earp, he is superbly played by Joel McCrea here. McCrea, who is certainly no stranger to the western genre, has a real veteran presence here and carries the film with ease. McCrea is joined by one heck of a cast comprised of Lloyd Bridges, Vera Miles, a young Peter Graves, Walter Sande, Jack Elam, and Keith Larsen. The entire cast is on point here.

“Wichita” is available on Movie Zyng and through other online retailers. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.55:1 1080p. How does it look? Presented in Cinemascope and in Technicolor, “Wichita” gets a beautiful new hi-def restoration with crisp colors.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The top notch picture quality is accompanied by a nice clean 2.0 track.

Extras include 2 cartoons in HD- “Deputy Droopy” and “The First Bad Man.”

September 6, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Joel McCrea, Warner Archive, western, Wichita Blu-ray Review