Legendary director Don Siegel (Dirty Harry) directs the iconic John Wayne as an aging gunfighter dying of cancer in his final screen appearance, a superb adaptation of Glendon Swarthout’s classic western novel, The Shootist.
John Bernard Books is the stuff of legend, a renowned ‘shootist’ whose reputation looms large. But it’s 1901, and like the old west, John is dying and a reputation like his draws trouble like an outhouse draws flies. As word spreads that the famous gunfighter is on his last legs, the vultures begin to gather; old enemies, the marshal, newspaper men, and an undertaker, all eager to see him dead. Other men might die quietly in bed or take their own lives, but J. B. Books will choose his executioner and face down death with a pistol in each hand.
With an outstanding cast that features not only Wayne, but James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Scatman Crothers, and John Carradine, The Shootist is an elegiac ode to a monumental screen presence and to the Western genre itself.
For thoughts on The Shootist, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/e75oPdYf6F0?si=gJ4YaETCs-rFL1aN&t=62]
Video Quality
The Shootist debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Arrow Video in its original 1.85:1 sourced from a 4K scan of the Original 35mm Camera Negative exclusively restored by Arrow and finished in 2K. This presentation is quite gorgeous with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. We are grateful Arrow handled this one to ensure it would not be scrubbed of its texture, as well as nothing ever getting swarmy or clumpy. Throughout this feature, you get a sumptuous amount of detail with varied textures on the costumes, the production design, and the dusty landscapes. With the care taken with this restoration, there is nearly nothing in the way of print damage such as nicks or scratches.
The film begins with footage from older Wayne movies to show his early exploits, and this material largely blends in with the rest of the film with only a slight bit of variance. Contrast is firmly defined both in this early black-and-white footage along with the transition to the “modern” color footage that makes up most of the film. The strong highlights do not veer into blooming, and black levels are largely deep with nothing unwanted when it comes to crush. The transfer reveals a significant amount of depth and enhanced detail, especially when capturing expanses of landscapes. This important sendoff has been long requested by fans, and Arrow Video has treated it with the utmost respect.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a remastered original LPCM 1.0 mono track that captures the intentions of the film perfectly. This is largely a subtle picture with only occasional moments of traditional Western excitement, but the sound effects come to life deftly within the mix. Dialogue comes through clearly without any competing elements such as sound effects or the music overshadowing important information. The terrific score from Elmer Bernstein sets the mood of the story as it emanates with great fidelity. This presentation showcases everything you want without damage or other unwanted issues. The team at Arrow has ensured that every element honors the source. The release comes with optional English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
The first pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of The Shootist includes a booklet featuring the essay “John Wayne’s Farewell to the Screen” by film historian Philip Kemp. This provides a great analysis of the star, the production, and more. The booklet also contains the details of the restoration. This release also includes six postcard-sized lobby card reproductions and a double-sided fold-out poster. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Filmmaker and critic Howard S. Berger provides an audio commentary in which he discusses the importance of the film, how this differs from your standard Don Siegel film, the changes from the source material, the performers and their backgrounds, the clashes between John Wayne and Don Siegel, the shooting locations, the themes tackled within this one, and more.
- The Last Day: A 29-minute visual essay is provided by filmmaker and critic David Cairns who explores the development of The Shootist as a story, recurring themes within the work of Don Siegel, how the film explored the aging of Hollywood stars, and more.
- A Man-Making Moment: A nearly 41-minute new interview with Western author C. Courtney Joyner in which he explores the career of Don Siegel, how the novel was written, the life of author Glendon Swarthout, other translations of his work on screen, things that were omitted from the final film, and more.
- Lament of the West: A 27-minute appreciation of Elmer Bernstein’s score by film historian and composer Neil Brand who discusses the composer at large, how certain scenes are made by the score, and much more.
- Contemplating John Wayne – The Death of a Cowboy: A 23-minute visual essay is provided by filmmaker and critic Scout Tafoya that confronts the complicated legacy of John Wayne including some of his abhorrent points of view.
- The Shootist – The Legend Lives On: A 19-minute archival special is provided which gives you a broad overview of the themes of the film, how it fits into the careers of those involved, and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The three-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.
- Image Gallery: A selection of behind-the-scenes images and marketing material is provided.
Final Thoughts
The Shootist is a thoughtful farewell to a legend that takes a more contemplative approach to the traditional Western. The feature does allow for some moments that deliver the thrills of the genre, but it is much more focused on character and the idea of the legacy one leaves behind. John Wayne is in top form as he balances his steadfast persona with something incredibly vulnerable. Don Siegel does a fine job of guiding the audience to a well-earned goodbye, and it serves as one of the better swan songs for an icon. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and a robust array of special features that are very much worth exploring. Recommended
The Shootist 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: Arrow Video 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.

Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.