Movie Reviews

Paramount Presents ‘Last Train From Gun Hill’ Blu-Ray Review – Kirk Douglas And Anthony Quinn Star In Western Classic

By Dillon Gonzales
July 18, 2021
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Sometimes it is quite amusing to see how fate will weave tiny coincidences into your life that help give you a new perspective. Just recently, within a week of each other I watched both Kirk Douglas grift his way through an Old West prison system in There Was A Crooked Man while Anthony Quinn was pulling his own con in Guns For San Sebastian. Both of these were fine films with great performances from their leading men, but neither of them hold a candle to their collaboration Last Train From Gun Hill from 1959. This may have something to do with it being directed by the great John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven, Escape From Fort Bravo) during a particularly hot streak. Having two titanic performers under the guidance of one of our great auteurs makes for a thrilling experience you will not forget. This is a picture that transcends your typical western to deliver something special within the genre.

Kirk Douglas is a performer equally at home as a scoundrel or a hero, but as U.S. Marshal Matt Morgan we get the latter with a gentler Douglas. From the first moment he appears on screen, he instantly endears himself to the audience as he happily regales a group of young kids with some of his exciting tales as a lawman. This only makes the events that preceded this so much more heartbreaking. On their way back from visiting family, Matt’s Native American wife and young son are chased down by two repulsive, drunken cowboys who rape and murder the woman. Once Matt is alerted and returns to the scene of the crime, the only clue beyond what little his son can tell him is one of the killers’ horses which has a fancy, distinctive saddle on it. This is not a tale of trying to figure out who the saddle belongs to; Matt knows it belongs to Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn), an old friend who makes a living as an unscrupulous cattle baron in Gun Hill. While Matt assumes this was stolen off of Craig, he has to be prepared for anything when he confronts his old pal.

The story starts off with a gut punch of a conflict and only grows in tension once Matt makes his way by train to Gun Hill. On his journey Matt meets Linda (Carolyn Jones), a woman he will come to find out is a former lover of Craig’s who warns Matt of the powerful force he is about to meet in this small town. It does not take long for Matt to figure out that Craig did not commit the crime, but his son Rick (Earl Holliman) is not so innocent. Turns out that Rick’s excuse to his father that he thought she was “just some Squaw” is not enough to make the situation kosher between all parties. Matt intends to take Rick and his accomplice back with him to stand trial for what they have done. Craig is sympathetic to what Matt is experiencing, but he is not just going to let his son be taken away for any reason. This showdown between old friends ratchets up the drama in the latter half of the film as Matt gets pinned down with Rick in the town hotel while he waits for the last train out of town that night.

One of the greatest aspects of this particular feature is the clashing of dynamic personalities between Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn. Each performer knows exactly what qualities to bring to their characters to keep you glued to the screen. This is supplemented by the precise direction of the great John Sturges, who grounds the story in the personal rather than in grand confrontations. Countless westerns have devolved into a bang-bang good guy versus bad guy that can be momentarily entertaining but lacks the substance to stick with you for long after. The psychology of the human mind makes for a much richer time that slowly gets under your skin and does not uproot itself until the screen fades to black. At just over ninety minute, the film moves along at a spry pace that never gives way to the slightest amount of boredom. All of the filmmaking elements came together quite beautifully to create one of the standout entries into the genre.

Video Quality

Paramount Home Entertainment presents Last Train From Gun Hill with a glorious new 1080p master transfer sourced from a 6K scan of the original VistaVision negative that is almost perfection save for a key anomaly. The Paramount Presents line has been one of the most consistently strong on the market after an initial botched presentation of To Catch A Thief. Last Train From Gun Hill is not quite the misstep that fans deemed that release, but there is something strange going on in the latter half of this film where there appears to be some blurring issues that affect some displays (including mine) in the course of fast motion. While anecdotally consumers seem split on whether or not they notice anything, it proved to be a real eyesore for me. I have contacted Paramount about the issue I have been experiencing, and they have said they are looking into it. If there is a response to this, I will update the review accordingly.

This issue is especially unfortunate given the practically perfect presentation that is on display for the rest of the time. The film features some miraculous depth of color within the costumes and settings that pop off the screen with a vibrant intensity. The black levels are incredibly deep with a pleasing stability throughout. The level of detail and clarity is stunning with the appropriate amount of natural film grain intact. The film appears to be entirely free of dirt and damage, which makes the feature feel like it could have been made yesterday. If you do not notice the motion issue, you are likely to consider this transfer immaculate, but even those who witness the issue are sure to appreciate the underlying quality of the transfer. My fingers are crossed there is a solution forthcoming so everyone whether they experience the issue or not can fully enjoy what this transfer is capable of capturing.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a stellar Dolby TrueHD 2.0 track that is a knockout in every respect. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements so that nothing sounds muddy in the mix. This track shows no discernible age related wear and tear such as popping or hissing. The music complements the competing various sounds quite well, and the score from Dimitri Tiomkin has never sounded better. The conflict that comes late in the film provides the most activity in the soundtrack, and it does so quite well. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. This audio presentation is a perfect representation of the film.

Special Features

Filmmaker Focus – Leonard Maltin on Last Train From Gun Hill: A seven-minute featurette in which the famed film critic discusses the career of John Sturges, the production of this film, the tension between Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn, the shooting locations, background details on the performers and much more that gives some nice insight into the picture.

Original Theatrical Trailers: Paramount has provided trailers for Last Train From Gun Hill, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Furies and The Black Orchid.

Final Thoughts

Last Train From Gun Hill is a truly terrific tale of western justice that elevates itself above the standard genre trappings. Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn are explosive when they are performing across from one another. From beginning to end, this story is impeccably plotted and masterfully executed at every turn. Paramount has provided a new Blu-Ray that features a nearly perfect A/V presentation (see above for the caveat) and brief supplemental feature. If a replacement disc program never ends up happening, the disc will still be watchable, but it is my sincere hope that Paramount is able to figure out why some viewers are having problems and they are able to rectify the issue quickly.

Paramount Presents Last Train From Gun Hill 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: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment 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.