This collection features three western 1950s classics, starring screen legend Audie Murphy. SIERRA (1950) – Adventure… Raging to the Very Peaks of Excitement! Ring Hassard (Audie Murphy, Ride a Crooked Trail) and his father Jeff (Dean Jagger, Rawhide) live in a hidden mountain valley where they capture and tame wild horses. When Ring comes to the rescue of Riley Martin (Wanda Hendrix, Prince of Foxes), a lawyer who has lost her way on the trail, it leads to a romance between them—but also opens an investigation into Jeff’s shadowy past. Even more trouble comes when they encounter a gang of horse thieves led by the dastardly Big Matt Rango (Richard Rober, Jet Pilot). Directed by Alfred E. Green (Four Faces West) in dazzling Technicolor, Sierra features a villainous early role for Tony Curtis (Son of Ali Baba) and a jolly performance by Burl Ives (The Big Country), who performs several frontier ballads. And Hendrix, who was married to Murphy at the time, makes a fierce and fetching heroine.

KANSAS RAIDERS (1950) – The Furious, Fighting Story of Quantrill’s Guerrillas! During the Civil War, young Jesse James (Audie Murphy, The Duel at Silver Creek), his brother Frank (Richard Long, The Stranger) and their soon-to-be-legendary gang ride into Kansas on the trail of Colonel William Quantrill (Brian Donlevy, Canyon Passage). Seeking revenge against the Union, Jesse wants to join Quantrill’s Raiders, who are plotting to claim Kansas for the Confederacy. The more time Jesse spends with Quantrill, however, the more he realizes that the colonel isn’t a hero fighting for the South, but a bushwhacking madman. Directed by Ray Enright (The Spoilers), Kansas Raiders blazes with bold Technicolor and brilliant supporting performances by Marguerite Chapman (The Amazing Transparent Man), Scott Brady (Undertow), Tony Curtis (Flesh and Fury), Richard Arlen (Thunderbolt), James Best (Seminole) and Dewey Martin (The Big Sky).

DESTRY (1954) – The Classic Story of the West! Ruthless gambler Decker (Lyle Bettger, All I Desire) and his cronies are causing unrest in the sleepy frontier town of Restful. After the local sheriff dies under mysterious circumstances, Decker arranges to have the town drunk (Thomas Mitchell, Stagecoach) appointed sheriff, thinking he will be easily controlled. But the new sheriff sends for Tom Destry (Audie Murphy, No Name on the Bullet), son of a famous two-fisted lawman, to be his deputy. When Tom arrives, he isn’t exactly the swaggering hero the sheriff had in mind. In fact, Destry doesn’t even carry a gun. But the new deputy’s mild exterior masks a wild determination to see justice done, as Decker and the other locals soon discover. Directed by George Marshall (When the Daltons Rode), Destry is a glorious Technicolor retelling of Marshall’s own 1939 gem, Destry Rides Again, starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart.

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Video Quality

Sierra, Kansas Raiders and Destry come to Blu-Ray with the three films each given their own disc. These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them as a group while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. None of three films are noted as being newly remastered, but these older masters provide an agreeable enough viewing experience for each film. The quality amongst these three mostly stays in the “pretty good” range with the occasional ebb and flow in quality. Every film retains a fair amount of underlying print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but nothing that truly sinks the viewing experience. Specks and scratches are not a foreign sight, but it is clear that these have been maintained well over the years.

The Technicolor photography shines across every film as they make the most of their high definition debut with natural grain intact. This grain can be slightly inconsistent in certain moments, yet we appreciate that nothing has been managed or scrubbed of its texture. Even when it is more on the thick side, nothing ever appears swarmy or unnatural. The saturation of the hues is one of the better parts of the viewing experience as the dusty landscapes pop off the screen. Black levels could be a bit more robust, but crush and compression artifacts do not materialize to an obnoxious level. There is an acceptable amount of detail present throughout with textures in the environments, clothing and production design. While these could use a fresh master, Kino Classics has released a nice looking set overall.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with good DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio tracks for each of these three films which show some source limitations but manage to deliver a worthy listening experience. Dialogue comes through clearly without sounding muffled or lacking. It is balanced well with the environmental elements such as gunshots or galloping so information stays forefront in the mix. The three scores that accompany these films never clip the dialogue or other important information, but they can sound a little weak or shrill at the highest peaks. The most obvious deficits come in the form of some faint hissing, humming and crackles that more than likely date back to the source elements. Kino Classics has provided a fine audio experience for these. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films.

Special Features

Audio Commentary for Sierra: Film Historian Toby Roan delivers a very stilted yet informative commentary track in which he discusses the careers and lives of the talent involved, the cinematography, the thematic beats of the story, the film’s reception upon its release and more.

Audio Commentary for Kansas Raiders: Author/Screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and Film Historian Henry Parke provide a nifty commentary track in which they discuss the themes of the feature, how this fits into the era in which it was released, the backgrounds of those in front of and behind the camera, the shooting locations, the repurposing of previous footage, the legacy of the film and more.

Audio Commentary for Destry: Film Critic/Author Lee Gambin and Actor/Film Historian Gary Frank provide a commentary track in which they discuss how this film deals in and subvert classic tropes, the work of filmmaker George Marshall, the rise in TV westerns, the careers of the talent involved, the legacy of the film and more.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for Sierra (2:18), Kansas Raiders (2:11) and Destry (2:18). There are also trailers provided for The Duel at Silver Creek, Ride A Crooked Trail, Rawhide, The Big Country, Night Passage, No Name On The Bullet, Canyon Passage, The Spoilers, World In My Corner, To Hell and Back, When The Daltons Rode, Fancy Pants and Pillars of the Sky.

Final Thoughts

The Audie Murphy Collection II delivers a trio of westerns that are breezy and entertaining. Star Audie Murphy translates his real-life heroics to the screen in a natural manner that coaxes the audience to his side and keeps them there. Destry is the standout in this particular set, but Sierra is right behind it with Kansas Raiders also not lacking in entertainment value. These are not reinventing the rules of the genre, but if you are a hardcore fan then you will have a nice time here. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a good A/V presentation and an array of informative commentary tracks. Recommended

Audie Murphy Collection II [Sierra/Kansas Raiders/Destry] is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.