The Ranown Westerns: The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Review

THE MOVIES

The Tall T (1957) — Easygoing rancher Pat Brennan (RANDOLPH SCOTT) who, along with the newlywed daughter (MAUREEN O’SULLIVAN) of a wealthy mining baron, must use his wits to stay alive when he is taken hostage by a band of ruthless stagecoach robbers, led by Frank Usher (RICHARD BOONE).

Decision at Sundown (1957) — A mysterious stranger (SCOTT) who, consumed by hatred for the man he blames for his wife’s suicide, rides into a corrupt town of Sundown hell-bent on vengeance. There, both he and the townspeople face a reckoning that forces them to confront disturbing truths about themselves.

Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) — Welcome to Agry Town, a corrupt border outpost presided over by a pair of rival brothers whose bottomless greed corrupts everything in their orbit. Into this moral cesspool rides drifter Tom Buchanan (SCOTT), who soon finds himself railroaded for murder and, alongside a vengeful young Mexican vaquero, forced to take a stand for justice.

Ride Lonesome (1959) — Mysterious motivations drive taciturn bounty hunter Ben Brigade (SCOTT) to capture a wanted murderer – but his quest is complicated when he is accosted by a pair of outlaws who have their own inscrutable reasons for riding along.

Comanche Station (1960) — Jefferson Cody (SCOTT) rescues a woman kidnapped by Comanches for reasons that may have nothing to do with the bounty offered for her return. But before he can bring her to safety, he’ll have to contend with the dangers of the Comanche warpath and a trio of bounty hunters who have designs on the reward.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4½/5

This six-disc release comes housed in a digipak which side-slides into a matted slip case. Also included is a booklet with information on all five movies and an essay.

Audio Commentaries:

• Film Scholar Jeanine Basinger on The Tall T
• Film Historian Jeremy Arnold on Ride Lonesome
• Filmmaker Taylor Hackford on Comanche Station

Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (1:24:22) — This is a documentary from 2005 and covers the life and career of director Budd Boetticher and includes interviews with Peter Bogdanovich, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood and others.

Cinema, de notre temps: “Boetticher Rides Again” (59:39) — Is an episode of “Cinema, de notre temps” with an interview with Boetticher.

Budd Boetticher: A Study in Self-Determination (1:00:11) — 1971 documentary with filmmaker Taylor Hackford interviewing Budd Boetticher.

Visiting Budd Boetticher (37:24) — This is an interview with Boetticher from 1999, sharing stories about his collaboration with actor Randolph Scott and screenwriter Burt Kennedy.

Budd Boetticher and Jim Kitses (1:02:51) is an audio interview from 1969 featuring film scholar Jim Kitses talking to Boetticher about the series of westerns he made with Randolph Scott.

Farran Smith Nehme on Randolph Scott (25:40) — This is a profile on Actor Randolph Scott by film critic Farran Smith Nehme.

Also includes Trailers and the Super 8 Version of Comanche Station.

4K VIDEO – 5/5, BLU-RAY VIDEO – 5/5

The Renown Westerns collection comes to 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection. Each of the five movies were all restored by Sony Pictures from their original 35mm negatives and all provided with HDR and Dolby Vision in the dynamic range. For both formats, the video looks pretty phenomenal with sharp detail throughout while colors are nicely balanced. There were no apparent or obvious signs of artifacts, dust marks or other flaws.

AUDIO – 5/5

Both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs come with a strong Dolby Atmos track, which comes to life during the numerous *FIGHT* sequences, utilizing every available channel. Meanwhile, dialogue does come through the center channel with clarity and the depth is noticeable for both the loud and quieter scenes.