Plot: What’s it about?
Every now and again I watch a film that leaves me feeling torn as to whether I enjoyed the film or not. Such is the case with Richard Brooks’ Western The Last Hunt. The film has a few elements that made my enjoyment of the film hard to gauge.
The plot of the film takes place in 1883 in South Dakota. Indian killer Charles Gilson (Robert Taylor) hires known buffalo hunter Sandy McKenzie (Stewart Granger) to assist him in hunting buffalo for their pelts. Sandy brings along a young half breed boy named Jimmy (Russ Tamblyn) and a one-legged drunken buffalo skinner named Woodfoot (Lloyd Nolan.) While on the hunt some of their horses are stolen by some Native Americans and Charles slaughters the tribe. When he injures a squaw that has a baby, he decides to take her for a mate. This relationship causes a rift between Sandy and Charles that will eventually lead to bloodshed between the two men.
Here are the things that were enjoyable – the film is well shot, fairly well-written, and pretty well-acted. I enjoyed both Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger’s performances. Here is the problem: the film is one of the grimmest Westerns I have ever seen. The buffalo that are killed in the film are actually killed in real life. For myself, this made me feel sad. Watching real death on screen is not enjoyable to me, even though I am in support of people’s right to hunt the land. The plot is relentlessly grim with numerous Native Americans senselessly killed and the parallels to the slaughter of the buffalo got to me. I am not afraid to watch darker films, but this film felt so joyless that it felt like a chore.
At the end of the day, some people will consider this movie to be quite good. I cannot argue against the fact that the villain in the film is pretty despicable and the actors in the film deliver good performances. The script itself is not excellent, but it is pretty decent. At the end of the day, it was just not something that I will plan to revisit in the future.
Video: How’s it look?
Warner Archive Collection have provided a transfer from the MGM archives in 1080p in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. This transfer looks fantastic. The cinematography by Russell Harlan does great justice to the material. The most enjoyable aspect of the film is the beautiful location shooting of the wide-open vistas of the west. This transfer by Warner is incredibly detailed and really pops when viewed on an UHD television. Fans will not just be pleased but should be overjoyed with the attention that was given to the film.
Audio: How’s it sound?
This DTS-HD MA 2.0 track sounds very nice. The score by Daniele Amfitheatrof has been given excellent care and sounds very nice. The track is more robust than expected due to the sounds of all those stampeding buffalos in the film. Warner have continued to show why they are someone the best in the industry for the restoration of audio on older films.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Theatrical Trailer
- MGM Parade TV Promo #1 – Russ Tamblyn talks about The Last Hunt in this promo piece.
- MGM Parade TV Promo #2 – Producer Dore Schary and writer-director Richard Brooks discuss their work on the film with the aid of some behind-the-scenes footage.
The Bottom Line
The Last Hunt is a well-made film with strong central performances and good direction by Richard Brooks. This film left me torn as to how to judge the film. In terms of enjoyment of the film, I can not claim to be a fan of the film. Fans of the film will appreciate the beautiful new video transfer that Warner has provided. Newcomers to the film will more than likely be divided into two camps. I think that hunters will appreciate the authenticity while more sensitive viewers will be turned off by the onscreen violence. I would highly recommend a rental prior to a purchase.
