Navajo Joe – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1966
Director: Sergio Corbucci
Writers: Fernando Di Leo, Ugo Pirro, Piero Regnoli
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Aldo Sambrell, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Fernando Rey

Release Date: August 18th, 2015
Approximate running time: 92 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: OOP

"A band of outlaws, headed by a sullen leader named Duncan (Aldo Sambrell, The Man with No Name Trilogy), sweeps across the country like the plague, destroying everything in its path, including an entire Indian village. The outlaws arrive in the town of Esperanza, where they are hired by a crooked doctor to hijack a bank train and share in the wealth. But the sole survivor from the Indian village, a renegade Navajo named Joe (Reynolds), foils the plan by relocating the money. An irate Duncan holds an innocent Indian girl hostage until Joe surrenders… Joe once again must take on Duncan and his ruthless comrades with unforgettable vengeance.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.25/5

Navajo Joe comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 18.7 GB

Feature: 17.6 GB

No information has been provided about the transfer source. That said, it most definitely comes from an older source. Though colors and flesh tones generally look good, there are a few moments where they look off. The image generally looks crisp, the black levels are adequate, and the compression is good.

Audio: 3.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Though dialog comes through clearly enough to follow, this track is not without its shortcomings. Range-wise, things are best described as serviceable, and there are some sibilance issues.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for Navajo Joe (1 minute 51 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with film historian Gary Palmucci.

Other extras include trailers for White Lightning, Gator, and Malone.

Summary:

Sergio Leone’s monumental Dollars trilogy announced Spaghetti westerns to the world, and because of Sergio Leone’s success, many imitators flooded the market, which led to watered-down products. Navajo Joe, just like the Dollars trilogy, cast in its lead a T.V. actor named Burt Reynolds, who, along with Clint Eastwood, would later become cinema icons in the 1970s.

Navajo Joe was Sergio Corbucci’s fourth Spaghetti western. Sergio Corbucci’s other Spaghetti westerns include The Grand Canyon Massacre, Minnesota Clay, Django, Ringo and His Golden Pistol, The Hellbenders, The Great Silence, The Mercenary, The Specialists, Companeros, Sonny and Jed, What Am I Doing in the Middle of a Revolution?, and Shoot First... Ask Questions Later.

The narrative revolves around a Navajo Indian named Joe, whose tribe was massacred by bandits.

Navajo Joe’s strongest asset is its cast of recognizable faces, which anyone familiar with spaghetti westerns is sure to recognize. In the role of the leader of the bandits, Aldo Sambrell (A Bullet for the General) portrays a psychopath and sadist half-breed named Duncan. Other notable cast members include Nicoletta Machiavelli (The Hills Run Red) and Fernando Rey (Compañeros). Casting Burt Reynolds as the lead role is definitely an interesting choice, but years later, Lee Van Cleef did play an Indian in Captain Apache. That said, the performances are best described asserviceable, with no one performance standing out.

Content-wise, Navajo Joe is pretty standard, even when compared to the most by-the-numbers spaghetti western. There were so many spaghetti westerns coming out around this time, and everyone was trying to cash in. Unfortunately, Navajo Joe, like so many spaghetti westerns, just recycled already exploited elements from films that preceded it, and there really is nothing new brought to the table.

That said, there are two areas where Navajo Joe comes out ahead. Sergio Corbucci’s solid direction once again delivers when it comes to creating tense moments. And Ennio Morricone’s remarkable score, which features an exceptional music cue titled Silhouette of Doom that Quentin Tarantino would use in Kill Bill Volume 2. Ultimately, Navajo Joe is one of Sergio Corbucci’s weaker spaghetti westerns.

Navajo Joe gets a serviceable audio/video presentation from Kino Lorber, and this release comes with an informative audio commentary.

 Written by Michael Den Boer