Synopsis
Stuart Whitman is a gentleman gambler, on the run after having killed a man in a duel. JohnWayne is the Texas Ranger who tracks him down. But when it turns out that there is a muchworse gang of criminals on the loose (the Comancheros of the title), Wayne enlists the help of hisprisoners in defeating the real bad guys.
Audio
The sound has been remixed into 4.0 surround, and this is the only version of the Englishlangauge track provided (it is nice if…the original mono is present, in case the problems of stereoconversion become too annoying). As it turns out, this is a decent mix, with good surround on thepart of the music, and some good FX work as well (though some of these FX are excessivelyloud). There is some buzz coming out of the rear speakers during the dialogue scenes, and thesoundtrack overall has a certain harshness to it. Its age (1961) should be taken into account,however.
Video
The picture is presented in the original 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format, which isalways most welcome. The colours, contrasts, flesh tones and blacks are all fine. There is somegrain now and then (primarily during exterior night scenes) and the occasional flicker. Generallyspeaking, though, a solid transfer of an older film.
Special Features
Not much here. Apart from the trailers for The Comancheros, North to Alaska and TheUndefeated, there is a Movietone Newsreel of “Claude King and Talman Franks Receive Awardfor The Comancheros.” The award is a civic one for the soundtrack. Without a context, this is allrather mysterious. The menu is basic.
Closing Thoughts
Another bare bones release of a John Wayne western. Still, though the film itself may not beThe Searchers, it is a good time at the horse opera, and sometimes that’s all you really need.
Special Features List
- Trailers
- Movietone Newsreel
