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

ADDITION: Kino Lorber Blu-ray (May 2026): Kino have transferred Don Siegel and Robert Totten’s Death of a Gunfighter to Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The new Kino arrives on a dual-layered disc with a more robust bitrate (50% higher than Indicator’s.) The 1080P image is marginally superior in overall contrast and shadow detail, giving Andrew Jackson’s cinematography a touch more depth, especially in the darker interior scenes and night sequences. Grain is natural and well resolved on both, but Kino’s encode feels a hair more three-dimensional. Audio is presented in a strong DTS-HD Master dual-mono track that is essentially identical in quality to Indicator’s linear PCM presentation - clean, clear, and faithful to the original. Extras are lighter on US release: a new audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Lee Marvin biographer Dwayne Epstein Killin' Generals: The Making of The Dirty Dozen, the Most Iconic WW II Movie of All Time,) plus the theatrical trailer and a handful of additional related trailers; Backlash, Canyon Passage, High Noon, Madigan and Two Mules for Sister Sara. While informative, it lacks the depth and variety of Indicator’s package (Joyner/Parke commentary, Sinyard and Dyer video essays, the rare Widmark short Exercise No. One, image gallery, and 40-page booklet).

NOTE: We have added 64 more large resolution Kino Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Death of a Gunfighter remains a greatly underrated late-Western with a superb Richard Widmark (A Prize of Gold, Time Limit, The Secret Ways, Madigan, Hell and High Water, Backlash, The Trap, Pickup on South Street, Night and the City, Panic in the Streets), Arlene Dahl (Scene of the Crime, No Questions Asked, The Black Book, Journey to the Center of the Earth,) performance and fascinating production history (the birth of the “Allen Smithee” credit). It's wonderfully character-driven with an impressive cast including Lena Horne (Stormy Weather, Cabin in the Sky,) Carroll O'Connor (Point Blank, All in the Family, Warning Shot, The Devil's Brigade, Lonely Are the Brave, The Time Tunnel TV Series, Cleopatra, The Defiant Ones ,) Kent Smith (Cat People, The Curse of the Cat People, Nora Prentiss, The Spiral Staircase, This Side of the Law, The Mugger, Games, The Balcony, The Badlanders, The Fountainhead,) Jacqueline Scott (Macabre, Charley Varrick, Empire of the Ants, 5 episodes of The Fugitive,) John Saxon (The Unguarded Moment, The Appaloosa, Enter the Dragon, Queen of Blood, Cannibal Apocalypse, The Bees, Beyond Evil, Nightmare Beach, Planet Earth, The .44 Specialist,) Royal Dano (Messiah of Evil, Undercover Girl,) Harry Carey Jr. (Wagon Master, Rio Grande, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Rare Breed, Big Jake, Island in the Sky, The Devil’s Brigade, Man of the East,) etc. It's another fine western showing more traditional characters clashing with the modernization of the west. Subtleties show electricity present in the town. Both Blu-rays are very good, but they serve slightly different audiences. Kino’s video transfer delivers slightly better image quality with stronger contrast and depth, making it the preferred choice for viewers who prioritize picture performance above all else. However, Indicator’s, out-of-print, Region ‘B’ Blu-ray edition remains the definitive package thanks to its richer supplemental content and excellent booklet. Serious collectors will want both; casual viewers will be very happy with either, but the Kino edge in visual presentation makes it a very strong alternative — especially if you prefer the new Mitchell/Epstein commentary.

***

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (April 2023): Indicator have transferred Don Siegel and Robert Totten’s Death of a Gunfighter to Blu-ray. It is on a single-layered disc with a supportive bitrate. The 1080P looks strong with pleasing textures and depth. The image is clean with no compression on Andrew Jackson's cinematography with many dark scenes. I thought the image quality was flawless.

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Death of a Gunfighter has less aggression than you might expect from the title but when it comes though it carries effective depth. The original music was by Oliver Nelson, who did mostly TV work - The Six Million Dollar Man, Columbo, Night Gallery etc. plus the Burt Reynolds's film Skullduggery and notably in Death of a Gunfighter Lena Horne singing Sweet Apple Wine. It's quite a compelling score very clean in the lossless transfer. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Indicator Blu-ray offers a new commentary by screenwriter and novelist C. Courtney Joyner (author of The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers) and film historian Henry Parke (The Greatest Westerns Ever Made.) They discuss the incredibly complicated production history of Death of a Gunfighter with a very checkered, tangled past, how the title font was the same as Siegel's Coogan's Bluff, Andrew Jackson's cinematography, Widmark previously working with Siegel in Madigan, the strong supporting cast and, of course, the birth of the famous pseudonym 'Allen Smithee':

It's an excellent commentary on the film filled with observations and history. We also get 22-minutes of Neil Sinyard on Death of a Gunfighter - a new appreciation by the film historian plus 24-minutes of Richard Dyer on Lena Horne - a new video piece where the author of Stars considers the career of the actor, singer and activist. Exercise No. One from 1962 is a rare 10-minute short film based on the Ira Wolfert short story ‘Off the Highway’ and starring Richard Widmark, made by students of USC’s Cinema Department under the supervision of Fred Zinnemann. Lastly, is an original theatrical trailer and Indicator's usual image gallery of promotional and publicity material. The package has a limited edition 40-page booklet featuring a new essay by Paul Duane, an archival interview with Lena Horne, an extract from Don Siegel’s autobiography, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Michael Neyman on Exercise No. One, and full film credits.

Don Siegel and Robert Totten’s Death of a Gunfighter is a far better western than has been given credit - mostly due to the 'Allen Smithee' pseudonym evolution. The local politicians seek to retire the Marshal (Widmark) as his effective aggression - that cleaned up the town - is no longer required. The Indicator Blu-ray is at their impeccable high standard - superb a/v, new, edifying commentary - plus new supplements and a 40-page booklet! We strongly recommend this package for western genre fans and beyond.

Gary Tooze