The Film
Set in 1980, No Country for Old Men draws its title from the feeling by some in America that the way of the world, specifically the sudden increase in violence related to U.S./Mexico drug trafficking, was leaving good men behind. Joel Coen & Ethan Coen's adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel was recently bestowed four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and deservedly so. But as is often the case in recent years, I can't help but wonder if The Coens (who also shared for Best Directing and Best Adapted Screenplay) are also being honored for their entire body of work, from their stylish debut Blood Simple to their achingly funny Raising Arizona to Fargo, arguably their "breakout" movie, with critical darlings Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing along the way, among others. Admired, emulated, and sought after as collaborators, the brothers always seem to combine varying degrees of humor, Americana, and at least a little death, in an original, undeniably cinematic way.
Dramatically, No Country is a tale of contrasts, notably between Tommy Lee Jones' staid, compassionate lawman following a trail of horrific bloodshed and Javier Bardem's curiously coiffed killing machine. From the first scene in which we can clearly see Bardem's face, this terminator of a man sends a chill down the audience's collective spine, and later when he speaks to an unsuspecting gas station owner in low tones of menace, don't be surprised if you find your hands shaking. Somewhere in the middle is a not-so-innocent man (Josh Brolin) who stumbles into the middle of a deal gone bad, and his dubious decisions set him on a fateful course.
For an alternate take on the film see resident film guru Joe Lozito's review.
The Picture
Many scenes particularly in the first half of the film feature breathtaking vistas of rural Texas. While swaying grass in the foreground is razor-sharp, we are treated to generous detail far in the distance as well, detail that would be lost in standard-definition. Color is also well represented, not only the production designer's deliberate "West Texas" choices but the moody tweaking and manipulation performed in post-production, especially in nighttime sequences. The darks however are where most of the modest artifacting lurks. Far-off hills can be a little twitchy, too.
The Sound
Nominated for both Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, No Country is often a remarkably quiet movie, and that might be one of its secrets. The clean soundstage is occasionally jolted by claps of thunder or a frightening car explosion, and subtle little incidental cues inhabit restaurants or wherever the characters happen to be. The gunplay is the most dynamic aspect of the mix, especially Chapter 8's shootout followed by a chase in which many "silenced" shots eerily rip through a truck (and its occupants) from all different directions.
The Extras
God bless The Coens, they either don't grasp home video bonus material or they don't care or maybe they do and they're just messing with us. There is precedent for a Coen commentary (on The Man Who Wasn't There) but none is provided on this disc. Instead we're given a "making of" which starts like every other "making of" but actually winds up with some true filmmaking insight. The quick "Working with The Coens" was probably not their idea, as it is one of those obsequious puff pieces about how swell they are, according to cast and crew. "Diary of a Country Sheriff" explores the themes of the movie from the point-of-view of Tommy Lee Jones' character. This featurette is well intended but seems a little odd in retrospect since it is the only really focused analysis of the film among the bonus materials, even though Jones' character is not integral to the central action of the story.
The movie clips herein are also stretched wider than the correct 2.35:1, as if the Blu-ray is sharing the master from the DVD, a medium where the clips used in the special features are often not presented anamorphically. Hopefully we'll leave that tendency behind as we move into the high-def era.
Final Thoughts
Thematically rich and powerfully acted, No Country for Old Men also instills a constant eagerness to see what happens next. As a Blu-ray it surely could have been more impressive, but the movie itself is not to be missed.
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