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

ADDITION Criterion Blu-ray - September 2020: Criterion have also transferred Henry King's The Gunfighter to Blu-ray. But theirs is cited as being a "New 4K digital restoration". It, predictably looks superior to the Koch Media with richer, deeper black levels (are they slightly crushed?), better grain textures and slightly tighter visuals. It's on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and looks beautiful in-motion. Easily the best digital edition to date of this iconic western. 

NOTE: We have added 32 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Criterion also best the Koch Media in the audio department using a linear PCM mono track (24-bit.) This exports the western effects (horses and guns) flat and authentically - and especially in the score by Alfred Newman (Yellow Sky, The Diary of Anne Frank, Bus Stop, Blood and Sand, The Bravados, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Panic in the Streets, The Song of Bernadette etc. etc.) The Criterion has optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

Criterion have some new supplements. They have produced a 23-minute interview about director Henry King and The Gunfighter with filmmaker, writer, and archivist Gina Telaroli filling in a few gaps I had about King and his work. I enjoyed the 23-minute video essay by film historian and author of Nobody's Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood, J. E. Smyth discussing the career of editor Barbara McLean and her work on The Gunfighter. I found this very educational as I wasn't aware of her contributions. There are also two 1/2 hour audio excerpts of interviews with King and McLean. The first, with director Henry King, was conducted by Thomas R. Stempel in January and July 1971. In it, King discusses his relationship with Zanuck, The Gunfighter, and the importance to him of location shooting. The second is with editor Barbara McLean, also conducted by Stempel, but in August 1970. McLean discusses her start in Hollywood and working with Zanuck and director Henry King. They were both recorded as part of the Darryl F. Zanuck Research Project for the American Film Institute's Oral History Collection. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by film critic K. Austin Collins.

One of the most re-watchable of all westerns. The Gunfighter is perfection and Criterion have provided an upper-tier 4K-restored Blu-ray worthy of the film. The new extras, interviews and video essay are icing on the cake - this gets our highest recommendation! 

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ADDITION: Koch Media Blu-ray (September 2019): Firstly, Signal One Entertainment in the UK were set to deliver this pure classic western to Blu-ray, HERE, in November 2018, but it never materialized. Koch Media have transferred Henry King's The Gunfighter to 1080P Blu-ray. To many western genre fans this is top-shelf, one of the very best, and it was great to finally see this 1080P package arrive in the post. It is a notch or two above the SDs, especially the PAL, and it looks fine on my system. As the film runs the image seems to improve - more layered contrast, better detail in the close-ups and some very pleasing grain texture. I even noticed some depth. It is on a single-layered disc with a high bitrate. I'd love to be able to compare it to another Blu-ray, but it took so long to get this one - I am content. I've already watched it 3 times.

NOTE: 44 more full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray captures for Patrons are available HERE.  

On their Blu-ray, Koch Media offer DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono tracks (16-bit) in both the original English language and a German DUB. It is another advancement in the film's audio and sparsely utilized score by Alfred Newman (Yellow Sky, The Diary of Anne Frank, Bus Stop, Blood and Sand, The Bravados, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Panic in the Streets, The Song of Bernadette etc. etc.)  sounding a bit deeper and impacting. It has a wonderfully energetic opening theme. Koch Media offer optional English or German subtitles, in a bold white font, on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Koch Media Blu-ray only offer two trailers (one introduced by Gene Tierney) and an impressive stills gallery with posters and glossies of Peck, the other actors and the labeled sets. Nice inclusion.

Gary Tooze