A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity.

Legendary director Don Siegel (Dirty Harry) directs the iconic John Wayne as an ageing gunfighter dying of cancer in his final screen appearance, a superb adaptation of Glendon Swarthout's classic western novel, The Shootist.

John Bernard Books is the stuff of legend, a renowned 'shootist' whose reputation looms large. But it's 1901, and like the old west, John is dying and a reputation like his draws trouble like an outhouse draws flies. As word spreads that the famous gunfighter is on his last legs, the vultures begin to gather; old enemies, the marshal, newspaper men, an undertaker, all eager to see him dead. Other men might die quietly in bed or take their own lives, but J. B. Books will choose his executioner and face down death with a pistol in each hand.

With an outstanding cast that features not only Wayne, but James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, Scatman Crothers and John Carradine, The Shootist is an elegiac ode to a monumental screen presence and to the Western genre itself.

Bonus Materials

• SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• 2K remaster by Arrow Films from the original 35mm camera negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Howard S. Berger
• The Last Day, a visual essay by film critic David Cairns
• A Man-Making Moment, an interview with Western author C. Courtney Joyner
• Laments of the West, an appreciation of Elmer Bernstein’s score by film historian and composer Neil Brand
• Contemplating John Wayne: The Death of a Cowboy, a visual essay by filmmaker and critic Scout Tafoya
• The Shootist: The Legend Lives On, archival featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Juan Esteban Rodríguez

 

Cast & Crew

Actors:

•       John Wayne
•       Lauren Bacall
•       Ron Howard
•       James Stewart
•       Richard Boone
•       Hugh O'Brian
•       Bill McKinney
•       Harry Morgan
•       John Carradine
•       Sheree North
•       Rick Lenz
•       Scatman Crothers
•       Christopher George
•       Ricky Nelson
•       Johnny Crawford

Director: Don Siegel

Additional Details

Label: Arrow Video

Genre: Western

Language: English

Run Time: 100 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 12/02/25

UPC: 760137186731