The Deadly Trackers (1973) from WAC

[DukeTogo84]

Doesn't seem like this had a topic so I thought I would share some thoughts on the film and the disc.

Never heard of the film and decided to check it out because of the WAC sale. It seems like this film had a lot of negativity surrounding it due to Samuel Fuller being fired, and the producers using old music from the Wild Bunch in order to save some money.

The review on this website thrashes the movie over and over again, and honestly, I 100% disagree. Not only was this watchable, but I actually thought it was a good western. Richard Harris gives a great performance and his transformation to what we see in the end seems natural. Rod Taylor gives a performance that I initially thought was one note, but by the end, there was more than meets the eye. Paul Benjamin also gives a solid performance amongst many.

The WAC disc looks great. Top of the line PQ and audio. This was easily worth the purchase. If you like westerns that are dark and gritty, then this one is for you. I knew this was going to be a bit on the darker side since within a few minutes into the film, a senior citizen gets shot in the forehead.

Again, a good film and a good disc. If this has passed your radar, I would say give it a shot.

[Doomhunter]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Doesn't seem like this had a topic so I thought I would share some thoughts on the film and the disc.

Never heard of the film and decided to check it out because of the WAC sale. It seems like this film had a lot of negativity surrounding it due to Samuel Fuller being fired, and the producers using old music from the Wild Bunch in order to save some money.

The review on this website thrashes the movie over and over again, and honestly, I 100% disagree. Not only was this watchable, but I actually thought it was a good western. Richard Harris gives a great performance and his transformation to what we see in the end seems natural. Rod Taylor gives a performance that I initially thought was one note, but by the end, there was more than meets the eye. Paul Benjamin also gives a solid performance amongst many.

The WAC disc looks great. Top of the line PQ and audio. This was easily worth the purchase. If you like westerns that are dark and gritty, then this one is for you. I knew this was going to be a bit on the darker side since within a few minutes into the film, a senior citizen gets shot in the forehead.

Again, a good film and a good disc. If this has passed your radar, I would say give it a shot.

As I was scanning the list of Richard Harris’ films, I was surprised to see the reviewer give this disc a score of 1

[Rayjg]

A few years ago over at the defunct Dave Kehr blog Fuller’s widow came out and defended Harris who was thought to have been the reason for Fuller’s firing.

[Jorvic]

Watched this one for the first time recently and enjoyed it. Didn't know too much about the troubled production history beforehand.

Harris gives a fairly intense performance, as does Al Lettieri. But in the acting stakes, Rod Taylor is most memorable as the vicious Frank Brand.

The violence here has a real immediacy and there's a kind of downbeat, squalid realism of a kind that is also very evident in director Barry Shear's Across 110th Street.

The film may threaten to lose a bit of momentum towards the final stages, but it uses locations very well and overall this is a Western that leaves an impression. Nice to discover a title like this that almost seems to have been forgotten, but as mentioned earlier in the thread, is actually good. As expected, the transfer on the Warner Blu is excellent.