NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (September 2021): Kino have transferred Bernard L. Kowalski's Macho Callahan to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K Restoration from the Original Camera Negative". While I can presume this is true - the source is a bit faded. It is clean without damage nor egregious speckles but contrast wavers with black levels fluctuating appearing strongest in the latter 2/3rds of the running time. There are a few teal-leaning skies and green infiltration but I didn't find them intrusive. Mostly it is very watchable and as good as we are likely to get in 1080P. 

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original English language. Macho Callahan has many aggressive moments from revolvers and gatling guns to a brutal male-female assault and typical horse and saloon cheap piano and brawls. It has some impacting moments with a less-remarkable score by Patrick Williams (Framed, TV's Columbo, Lou Grant, The Bob Newhart Show and much more.) It sounded clean and adept in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers Alex Cox (author of the indispensable '10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western') who provides another fabulous commentary. Alex gives us his list of 'American Neo westerns' - as a form from 1970-1973 where it kind of peters out after that. He includes Soldier Blue, Barquero, this one - Macho Callahan, A Man Called Sledge, The Hunting Party, Valdez is Coming, Hannie Caulder, Lawman, Doc, A Gunfight (that he strongly recommends.) He continues with A Town Called Hell, The Culpepper Cattle Co.. The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, Dirty Little Billy, Joe Kidd, and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. He also mentions Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie. Alex identifies the revisitation of some of the Macho Callahan Mexican locations that Peckinpah used in The Wild Bunch. He tells a sad story of Jean Seberg being harassed by the FBI, director Bernard L. Kowalski (mostly from television), Gerry Fisher's cinematography, writing credits of Richard Carr and Cliff Gould, a day-for-night flaw plus his work and friendship with Pedro Armendáriz Jr. and much more. He's always wonderful to listen to - this is no exception. There is also a trailer for Macho Callahan and a handful of other western trailers as well.

Bernard L. Kowalski's Macho Callahan has favorite David Janssen playing the least sympathetic western character of all time (as Alex Cox relates in the commentary.) Janssen's Macho is brutal - graphically assaulting heroine Seberg's Alexandra as she seeks vengeance over her husband's death. I suspect this shocking scene was responsible for much of the film's negative critical reaction. She then falls for him in what must be a kind of 'Stockholm Syndrome' circumstance. I wasn't deterred as I am a big David Janssen fan and loved his enigmatic expression of Macho. Macho Callahan is very Italianate expressing many of the Pasta western eccentricities (obtuse camera close-ups, coffin with dynamite etc..) Western genre fans should give this Kino Blu-ray a spin. It's a better film than is 'rated' and the Alex Cox commentary is pure gold. There is a lot unspoken in Macho Callahan and that gives it reflection and repeat view-ability.

Gary Tooze