Tonight's Movie: Colt .45 (1950) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

The colorful Randolph Scott Western COLT .45 (1950) was just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

I reviewed this film in 2010 and really enjoyed returning to it via this beautiful new Blu-ray. It's not one of Scott's very best Westerns, but it's an entertaining and fast-moving 74 minutes with some interesting angles.

Scott plays Steve Farrell, a Colt gun salesman who's attempting to sell guns to a sheriff when Jason Brett (Zachary Scott) breaks out of jail and steals them. Brett begins a reign of terror with a criminal gang, indiscriminately gunning down helpless victims with the stolen Colts.

Beth Donovan (Ruth Roman) believes that her husband Paul (Lloyd Bridges) is being forced to work with Brett's gang against his will. Little does she know...

This interesting film was written by Thomas Blackburn and directed by Edwin L. Marin. It's a quick, colorful action film which I like quite a bit.

Zachary Scott is a particularly notable villain, a remorseless killer with absolutely no redeeming qualities.

As I wrote in 2010, Zachary Scott was going through personal trauma around the time this film was made, as his wife had left him for, believe it or not, John Steinbeck. Scott was depressed and drinking, and according to his biographer, Scott's real-life drama seeped into his performance, informing it with a psychotic malevolence. Jack Warner was said to have found Scott's performance so disturbing that he agreed to lend him out to MGM for his next picture.

Randolph Scott is as fine as might be expected in the lead, relentlessly chasing after the man who stole his guns and has been on a trail of crime ever since. The part could have used a bit more humor, perhaps, but otherwise he's as fine as one would expect.

I especially enjoy Ruth Roman in this film, as her character is not one to sit around helplessly. Whether she's trying to protect her husband from Randolph Scott, standing up to the advances of Zachary Scott, or dynamiting her way out of being locked up, she makes things happen. Roman's lively performance combined with her beautiful Technicolor looks contribute a great deal to this film.

One does wonder how Roman's character ended up married to an idiot like Paul in the first place, but if she hadn't we'd be missing about half the movie's plot! It's interesting to me how often Bridges was cast as wimps, belying his physique -- the most notable example being his feckless deputy sheriff in HIGH NOON (1952) a couple years later.

The supporting cast includes Alan Hale (Sr.), Ian MacDonald, Stanley Andrews, and Chief Thundercloud.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate Technicolor camera negatives. It beautifully shows off the Technicolor photography of Wilfrid M. Cline. Sound quality is also excellent.

Disc extras consist only of the 11-minute Joe McDoakes short SO YOU WANT TO THROW A PARTY (Joe McDoakes, 1950) and the Bugs Bunny cartoon HILLBILLY HARE (1950). Optional English-language subtitles are included.

For additional thoughts on this film, please visit my 2010 review.

This is a fun one, beautifully presented by the Warner Archive Collection. Recommended.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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