No Country for Old Men courtesy Walt Disney Video
When a man stumbles upon a bloody scene and two million dollars in cash, his decision to take the money sets off an unstoppable chain reaction of violence. Hunted by a psychopathic killer, the man tries desperately to put an end to his pursuer while the local Sheriff follows the bodies left behind. No Country for Old Men is the 4-time Oscar-winning movie from Joel and Ethan Coen starring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem, winner of the Academy Award for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role."
No Country for Old Men arrived at my house as an Oscar-nominated film, and it walked away with 4 awards before I had a chance to watch it. The "best picture" winner is always worthy of viewing, either because it's a great movie, or because you're able to shake your head in disgust after viewing it, proclaiming another movie as being "much, much better." I went in with an open mind, even though I strongly disliked Fargo, the other movie that provided the Coen brothers with an Oscar win.
I thought the movie was done beautifully, and the 1080p transfer for Blu-ray captures it in stunning detail. The shots of the Texas countryside looked wonderful, and the detail found in the trees, grass, and faces of the characters was amazing. There were a few times, during my second viewing, that I paused the movie and admired the clarity of the image on my screen. The audio, which is available in Dolby Digital 5.1, or an uncompressed (48 kHz/24-bit) track, is a bit unnerving. It sounds great, but the complete lack of music is eerie, and uncommon in a movie, and the effect is unnerving. Movie watchers are so used to taking cues from music that the absence of it forces us to watch and react to what we see, not what we're built up to expect.
Sadly, the bonus material left me wanting more; there's nothing exclusive to the Blu-ray, and the material on the disc is just in standard definition. "The Making of No Country for Old Men" is a detailed look at the creation of the movie, with cast and crew interviews. There are some scenes that are profiled in-depth, with behind-the-scenes footage, and crew members explaining how certain effects or stunts were achieved. Ever wonder what it'd be like to work with the Coen's? The cast and crew talk about what it's like to work with the directors on "Working With the Coens," while "Diary of a Country Sheriff" examines the characters played by Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. I had a number of questions about the movie when it was done, and I expected a commentary track to shed some light on the answers, but the Coens didn't record anything. Apparently they prefer to have their movies speak for themselves, and have only recorded one DVD commentary track (The Man Who Wasn't There). Though the bonus material is less than an hour, it's still worth watching.
This is a movie that deserves a rental at the very least, just to watch Bardem's Oscar-winning performance.
As seen on TV: This movie has some notable TV actors; the excellent Stephen Root (Newsradio), Woody Harrelson (Cheers), Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure) and Garret Dillahunt (The 4400).
Buy No Country for Old Men on Amazon.com, available on March 11.
Think this movie was worthy of the "Best Picture" award? Feel free to discuss in the comments section, but please avoid spoilers - not everyone has seen it yet. — Gord Lacey
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