Widowed farmer Henry (Tim Blake Nelson, Watchmen) and his teenage son Wyatt (Gavin Lewis, Little Fires Everywhere, Head of the Class) live on a ranch in Chickasha, OK at the turn of the 20th century. Wyatt often asks his father why he settled in the Territory as it doesn’t seem like the kind of life he would want, and certainly not the life that Wyatt wants. However, Henry seems to be hiding from his past, keeping his son sheltered and over-protected. Wyatt is eager to leave the first chance he gets.

One day while riding in the fields, Henry comes across a man with a gunshot wound and a satchel of money. He believes that the man may be some sort of outlaw, so when Henry takes him back to the ranch to tend to his wounds, he ties ties Curry (Scott Haze, Antlers) to the bed and orders his son to keep watch. When the man regains consciousness, he tells Henry that he is a lawman, and that some men posing as a Sherriff and his two deputies—Ketchum (Stephen Dorff, True Detective), Dugan (Richard Speight Jr., Supernatural) & Stilwell (Max Arciniega, Better Call Saul)—are in fact the real bank robbers, and will likely arrive soon to take him by force. Henry is unsure who to trust, and takes extra precautions in order to keep his son from danger. But it’s only a matter of time before the men will arrive looking for Curry and he needs to be prepared to take them on.

Henry has a dark, mysterious past that he’s been struggling to leave behind. He has done his best to raise his son on his own, but Wyatt resents his father for the way he keeps a tight leash on him. Wyatt is the only boy his age who has never even fired a gun (something that would be quite useful in the current situation). Henry had hoped that creating this new life on the farm and raising his son would serve as some kind of penance and redemption for his past sins, but his old life will soon catch up to him, and in order to protect his family, he’s going to have to reawaken a side of himself he has kept hidden, even from his own son. Old Henry is a work of historical fiction that’s both a classic Western tale of evil riding into town to challenge the good, but also a tense, action-packed thriller. Henry is like the John Wick of the Old West—you don’t want to get him angry by hurting someone he loves, or else he’ll unleash his vengeance. The film does a great job of slowly building the tension, making you question who is telling Henry the truth and guessing what his secret hidden past is, and then explodes with some big reveals and an action-packed final act.

Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, with a clean, bright and detailed picture that showcases the beautiful natural landscapes, locales and costumes. The level of detail and black level also remain strong during nighttime sequences. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and makes nice use of the surround channel to add ambiance and provide a more immersive viewing experience, whether it’s the crack of thunder from a storm, or the sound of horses galloping in the distance. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in an standard HD keepcase with a carboard slipcover. The only bonus features are the theatrical trailer and an 8-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and filmmakers. There is no digital copy included.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:38:34)

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.66:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Surround, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
• Subtitles: English

Extras:

• A Look at Old Henry (8:03)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about the inspiration for the film, what makes the Western so iconic, what it was like working on one for the first time, casting the film, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Potsy Ponciroli and stars Tim Blake Nelson (“Henry”), Stephen Dorff (“Ketchum”), Max Arciniega (“Stilwell”), Richard Speight Jr. (“Dugan”), Gavin Lewis (“Wyatt”) & Scott Haze (“Curry”).
• Trailer (2:30)

Final Thoughts:

Old Henry is not only a solid historical fiction Western drama, but also a tense action-thriller with some interesting twists and turns. Tim Blake Nelson delivers a captivating performance as this conflicted man with a mysterious dark past he his trying to keep hidden, and Stephen Dorff is menacing as the ruthless and relentless bad guy out to retrieve his stolen money. Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but only includes one short behind-the-scenes featurette. That said, the film is definitely worth a look for Western fans.