Given its title, should anyone expect something other than a Western from 2022’s Murder at Yellowstone City? Of course not – with a moniker like that, the subject matter becomes obvious.

Set in Montana circa 1881, Yellowstone City used to enjoy a booming economy, but now the residents deal with tougher times. This looks like it might change when prospector Robert Dunnigan (Zach McGowan) finds gold.

Dunnigan doesn’t enjoy the happy ending he anticipates, though, as someone murders him. Though former slave and local newcomer Cicero (Isaiah Mustafa) becomes the prime suspect, the truth seems more complex.

On the positive side, Murder bests a pretty solid cast. We find a mix of notables like Gabriel Byrne, Thomas Jane, Richard Dreyfuss and Nat Wolff involved with the project.

On the negative side… pretty much everything else. While Murder dabbles with some potentially meaningful domains, it does so in such a sluggish and flat manner that none of it goes anywhere.

Boy, for a movie that ostensibly offers a mystery/thriller, Murder seems awfully slow and flat. The third act finally brings some action into the mix, but it defines “too little, too late”.

It seems likely that the viewer will mentally detach from Murder well before its violent climax finally arrives. The movie simply lacks what it needs to sustain attention.

As noted, we expect a decent mystery tale here, with a little social commentary given the fact Cicero used to be a slave. However, the pursuit of the killer feels almost forgotten too much of the time, and the movie fails to compensate with compelling character information.

Despite ample space to explore its roles, Murder just tend to feel stuck in neutral too much of the time. Although the parts receive mild coverage, none of them ever turn into anything memorable.

Without strong characters, a good plot and/or vivid action, it becomes tough to locate much positive to recommend about Murder. As mentioned, it does come with a pretty good cast, and the actors seem adequate in their parts.

However, they can’t elevate their thinly-written roles, so they fail to add much to the experience. Murder turns into an awfully dull tale.

Murder at Yellowstone City appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The film boasted an appealing transfer.

Almost uniformly, sharpness worked well. Only a smidgen of softness ever crept into the image, as it usually remained tight and concise.

Jaggies and moiré effects were absent, and I saw no edge haloes. Print defects also failed to appear.

In terms of palette, Murder opted for a heavily sepia/amber feel. Some light teal appeared during a few outdoor shots. The Blu-ray appeared to replicate the tones as intended.

Blacks came across as deep and rich, while shadows looked smooth and clear. This became a quality presentation.

Though not as good, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack satisfied. Much of the movie opted for a low-key presentation, with occasional bursts of action.

Scenes with gunfire added some pep, but most of the movie focused on ambience. The soundscape didn’t dazzle but it fleshed out the settings.

Audio quality worked fine. Speech was distinctive and crisp, and the musical score boasted nice range.

Effects seemed accurate and full. This wasn’t a slam-bang mix, but it worked fine for the story.

A few extras appear here, and we get an audio commentary from director Richard Gray, writer Eric Belgau, and actors Anna Camp, Scottie Thompson, Aimee Garcia, Tanaya Beatty, and Isabella Ruby. All sit together for a running, screen-specific piece in which they discuss story/characters, sets and locations, music, cast and performances, stunts and action, and related domains.

While we learn some decent facts about the production, happy talk dominates the commentary. Throw in some technical glitches related to the Web chat and this becomes a mediocre commentary at best.

The Making of Murder at Yellowstone City runs four minutes, 33 seconds. It includes notes from Gray, Belgau, Thompson, Camp, executive producer Carter Boehm, and actors Lew Temple, Zach McGowan, Isaiah Mustafa, Richard Dreyfuss, and Nat Wolff.

“Making” discusses story and characters as well as sets and locations. Don’t expect much more than promotional fluff.

Six Deleted Scenes span a total of six minutes, 48 seconds. These tend to offer some fairly minor character moments and not anything especially memorable.

The disc opens with an ad for Bone Tomahawk. No trailer for Murder appears here.

Although its title implies Murder at Yellowstone City will offer a taut thriller, the end result flops. The movie can never find anything especially interesting to say, so it plods toward its inevitable conclusion. The Blu-ray brings pretty good picture and audio as well as a handful of bonus materials. I’ve seen worse Westerns but Murder nonetheless disappoints.