Plot: What’s it about?
Zack Thomas (Frank Sinatra) and Joe Jarrett (Dean Martin) are competitive, jealous men, but when it comes to money, they agree to work together at times. The two men love to gamble, play cards, and romance women and in 1870s Galveston, there is more than enough opportunities to do all those tasks. Although a man can play a hand or two of cards anywhere with a table and chairs, the best chance to sit down is at a casino, which is what Zack and Joe also believe is true. As such, the two share ownership of a casino with all sorts of attractions, though most of them pale in comparison to watching the two friendly rivals shuffle the decks. Both men think they are the greatest card player alive, but that means the other just adds an even more impressive hand and so on, keeping the two very busy, trying to show each other up at the tables. Add in two beautiful woman (Anita Ekberg & Ursella Andress), a veteran gunslinger (Charles Bronson), and a corrupt bank official (Victor Buono) and you’ve got all the needed elements for an old fashioned western, even though that isn’t what you’ll find here.
As the buzz over the remake of Ocean’s Eleven looms, Warner has capitalized by releasing the original Ocean’s Eleven, as well as other Rat Pack pictures. In that selection of films is this one, 4 for Texas and while it is no masterpiece, it is a watchable movie and if you’re a fan of westerns, you’ll appreciate some of the nice touches. Frank Sinatra (Von Ryan’s Express) and Dean Martin (The Young Lions) lead an impressive cast, which also includes Charles Bronson (The Great Escape), Victor Buono (The Mad Butcher), Ursella Andress (Clash of the Titans), Anita Ekberg (La Dolce Vita), and even The Three Stooges, in addition to others. As per usual, Sinatra and Martin make no real efforts to act, more like just have a good time and while that might have been fun, it hinders the outcome of 4 for Texas. The two best buddies ham it up and that is humorous for a while, but soon becomes tiresome, but no one told them as such, I guess. There are some laughs to be had with this movie, but most of them come at the expense of the picture, as opposed to because of the humor within the material. If you’re a fan of Sinatra and Martin or just want to take in a watchable, but very flawed western/comedy, then 4 for Texas is worth a rental, but little else.
Video: How does it look?
4 for Texas is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The image here is more than acceptable, but the materials do have some years on them and it shows, though not too much in the grand scheme. The print is cleaner than expected, but still shows heavy grain at times and frequent defects, which lessens the visual impact somewhat. The colors seem bright enough however, with minimal fades evident and flesh tones look natural also. The black levels are a little soft, but detail remains on the mark and shadows seem accurate, so the slight brightness never slows down this train much. Given the film’s age and such, I’d say this is a solid looking visual effort, even with some flaws present.
Audio: How does it sound?
A mono option is provided here and that’s about all this film needs, as the audio is solid and more than effective. I heard some minor age related flaws, but nothing to be concerned with, as for the most part, the track is clean and well presented. The music and sound effects are adequate, though the limits of the material and this mono track are evident, but that should be expected with a release like this, I think. The dialogue is clean and crisp at all times also, so no problems to report in that respect. This disc also includes a French language option, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, an eight minute behind the scenes featurette, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
