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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround
  • German: Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround
  • Italian: Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround
  Subtitles
    English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, English - Hearing Impaired, Norwegian
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer

The Comancheros

20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 103 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Paul Regret has just killed a judge’s son, duelling. He hides out on a riverboat where he meets Pelle, a beautiful mystery woman. Soon after, the boat docks and Texas Ranger Jake Cutter arrests him and takes him back to Texas. Along the way, Regret escapes and Cutter must pursue a different crook – one who’s smuggling guns to a gang called The Comancheros, derived from the Comanche Indians. After Regret is recaptured, he gets sworn in as a Ranger and before you know it he and Cutter are partners hunting down the baddies. Enter the mystery woman as secret leader and suddenly all loyalties are out the window. Naturally, mayhem ensues.

Director Michael Curtiz didn’t take many risks with this film and therefore created a hugely saleable article. There’s a love story, gunfights, riverboats, poker games, wagons on fire and everything else a growing boy needs. John Wayne even takes a rubber shovel to the back of the head. All this stuff makes for a fun movie with plenty of action and adventure. The relationship between Regret and Cutter is well portrayed by Wayne and Whitman, and Lee Marvin even shows up for a quick couple of scenes before bowing out of the piece. With Elmer Bernstein’s exhilarating ‘western’ score, you’ve got yerself the quintessential American Western, including a real-live black leather-clad, black hat wearing baddie. Yeehaw!

  Video
Contract

This is a nice transfer in 16:9 anamorphic with no real shudders or jitters. The picture looks pretty darned tootin’ considering it’s 42 years old, with only occasional film artefacts buzzing by. This is mainly confined to the establishing outdoorsy shots and rarely occurs during the indoor studio scenes. Colours are nice and clean, though during the ‘night shots’ when they’ve used a deep blue filter, it’s still just a little too much like daylight. Flesh tones are accurate and the shadows are a nice healthy black.

  Audio
Contract

The soundtrack is as you would expect from such a popular title - clean as a whistle. With no noise or static the dialogue is clear and well delivered and none of the sound effects drown out our players. Dolby Digital 4.0 means we hear everything we are meant to hear and nothing that we aren’t. A masterful restoration job complete with plenty of language options as well.

  Extras
Contract

As with the others in this box set, (but for one) we only have the original theatrical trailer on this baby. It’s an interesting take on the trailer though, selling the film as a sort of early Pulp Fiction with the story that’s ‘been told in a way you’ve never seen before’. Well worth the look for its difference from other trailers, if nothing else.

  Overall  
Contract

Another classic from the massive catalogue of films John Wayne made in his career. Great stunts, plenty of ‘laughs’ and a pretty cool story make this film a necessary addition for the western enthusiast. For everyone else, it’s a good story told well with some great filmmaking to boot.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2668
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      And I quote...
    "It’s a good story, told well."
    - Jules Faber
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nintaus DVD-N9901
    • TV:
          Sony 51cm
    • Receiver:
          Diamond
    • Speakers:
          Diamond
    • Surrounds:
          No Name
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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