I had never seen Red Sun before so when Arrow chose it for a 4K restoration I trusted them for a first time discovery. It’s an all star Western from James Bond director Terrence Young. Toshiro Mifune, Alain Delon and Charles Bronson is an all star cast regardless of country. Then you’ve got Ursula Andreas and even Capucine too.
The rivalry and motivations between Mifune, Bronson and Delon is very Good, Bad and Ugly. They combine gunplay, horseplay, samurai and martial arts nicely. Those leads really do have swagger to spare.
The 4K looks as good as the Leone westerns. There is some deep shadow underneath the train but it’s mostly river banks and mountains, somewhat different from the usual sandy western.
Film scholars give new appreciations from American, Japanese and French perspectives. C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke’s commentary also gets into international financing and marketing, and what sets Red Sun apart from other Italian westerns. Archival materials complete the historical perspective.