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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (October 2020): Kino have transferred John Sturges' Joe Kidd to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Like Kino's new High Plains Drifter Blu-ray the 1080P image is gorgeous. There is plenty of depth and excellent contrast. The Arizona (Sonora Desert) and California (Lone Pine) scenery is stunning. Detail is impressive in the few close-ups and the overall HD presentation is excellent. 

NOTE: We have added 68 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 (with some Spanish.) There are western effects - plenty of gunplay, horses and a steam engine - and a score by Argentinean Lalo Schifrin (famous as the guy behind the Mission: Impossible theme as well as Rollercoaster, Charley Varrick, The Nude Bomb, Day of the Animals, Hit!, Man on a Swing, The Manitou, Tango and many other films) which sounds a bit 70's TV-ish but clear and crisp. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by filmmaker/writer Alex Cox (author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western). He talks about how this is more an Eastwood film than a Sturges film, writer Elmore Leonard etc.. I was really keen on his thoughts regarding Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence - not getting a full release because he (Cox) was told Clint was doing a remake, 20th Century potentially trying to woo Clint away from Universal etc.. He identifies references to The Great Silence - long-haired posse etc.. It's at his usual informative level - I like that he is unafraid to be critical of some of the filmmaking elements. Cox continues to provide excellent commentaries - especially for westerns. There is also a new 9-minute interview with actor Don Stroud (Lamarr in Joe Kidd) who discusses his career in working with Eastwood. There is also a 'Poster and Image Gallery', a new HD-transferred theatrical trailer, 2 TV Spots, a Radio Spot and the package has a limited edition O-Card slipcase and reversible art (see bottom of review.)

John Sturges' Joe Kidd has Clint in his tough-guy / loose-canon persona. It can get quite intense with plenty of gun conflicts. It's pretty one-dimensional with Stella Garcia and Lynne Marta characters (the only females) not fleshed-out at all. Nor Joe Kidd's legendary tracking ability and other facets of the plot. The audience must take a lot for granted. Still, this is an above-average piece of the genre. I enjoyed it. The Kino Blu-ray remains at the top of their game - beautiful a/v, commentary and an entertaining film. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze