Sam Elliott Western Collection (Desperate
Trail/Rough Riders/You Know My Name/Warner DVD Set)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D/C/C- Main Programs: D/C/D
Sam
Elliott is an actor/character actor/survivor who has an amazing resume, but ion
all of it, he still tends to be remembered for being in Westerns, even if most
cannot name any of them. That is the
irony of the recent Warner DVD set simply entitled The Sam Elliott Western Collection collecting three projects he did
for Turner Entertainment. For the most
part, they are not that memorable despite their guest stars, but had their
audience of Turner would not have greenlit so many of them.
The Desperate Trail has Elliott opposite Linda
Fiorentino, Craig Sheffer and Frank Whaley in a tale of stagecoach robbery and
revenge that we have seen too many times, while You Know My Name has Elliott opposite Arliss Howard as one-time
Wyatt Earp associate Bill Tightman in a telling that never has much depth to
it, no matter the effort of the actors.
That leaves
Rough Riders, written and directed
by the controversial John Milius, adding Tom Berenger, Illeana Douglas, Chris
Noth, Brian Keith, George Hamilton and pre-self-destructive Gary Busey about a
troop of fighter especially commissioned by President Teddy Roosevelt. It is uneven, but has its moments and is the
only title offering anything memorable here.
All are 1.33 X 1 full frame presentations except for Name, which is anamorphically enhanced
1.78 X 1 and not looking any better. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is even on all three titles, none of which have any
palpable Pro Logic surrounds. The only extras
are a making of piece on Name and audio commentary by Milius and producer
William J. MacDonald.
- Nicholas Sheffo
