Project-Blu No Country for Old Men Collector's Edition, by M. Enois Duarte

No Country for Old Men

By: M. Enois Duarte, 4.14.2009

The Movie Itself:

"The crime you see now, it's hard to even take its measure." ~Sheriff Ed Tom Bell

Since their debut film, Blood Simple, the Coen brothers have surprised audiences with their unconventional use of conventions. Genre-bending fares that aim above the elements of pastiche and homage mixed with dark humor, absurdist dialogue, witty irony, and local color. In No Country for Old Men, they are true to their form with the story of a welder who tries to get away with a suitcase full of money, allowing the brothers the opportunity to revisit themes they hadn't explored since Fargo. An austerely laconic film that is arguably superior to anything they've ever done, the material is brilliantly executed and perfect, at once eerily haunting, but ultimately contemplative and poetic.

Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, the film opens with three scenes that shift from one to the next, so as to introduce the three main characters. At first, seemingly unrelated, but as a whole, they intimate just how closely their fates are entwined. Mixed with establishing shots of the 1980 deserts of West Texas, the pensive narration by Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) about a young man's lack of remorse weighs in on our introduction of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). After killing Bell's deputy and stealing the patrol car, he signals a car to pull over and kills the driver after asking him to hold still. Next, we meet Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) echoing Chigurh's intimidating words ("You hold still.") while hunting antelope.

Just that opening alone is so marvelously done that one could spend hours examining the brothers' craftsmanship. One thought bleeds into the other with a great deal of care and patience. We are shown the familiar and profound relationship these three strangers share, a subtle allusion to predestination and inevitability. Bell is the moral center in this eccentric tale of humanity's tendency towards violence. He's a man that's earned the sort of wisdom that only comes with age and attempts to comprehend the inexplicable, but only comes to the realization of the world's true nature. Accents aside, Ed Tom Bell is much like all of us, struggling to understand the violence which pervades our modern world and refusing to accept its banality in our existence.

Although Llewelyn Moss is a Vietnam Veteran, his mundane life places him back into a state of ignorance and monotony. His experiences in war only serve as exposition to his survival skills and calmness in a gunfight. The moment he stumbles upon dead bodies with a truck full of "Mexican brown" and decides to take the money suitcase, the thunderstorm rolling in signifies the gates he's inadvertently opened. Llewelyn's swim in the river is a baptism of sorts, an initiation or opening of his eyes to the world as it truly is, one he was not fully aware of before. Only a few minutes earlier, he couldn't shoot antelope with a scope, but suddenly he can shoot a dog. Granted, the shot was at point-blank range, but that's not as important as his reaction, his assurance and his poise to kill.

Our introduction of Anton Chigurh involves the gruesome death of a cop and the sound of a freight train in the distance. His preference of a stunbolt gun powered by a high-pressured air tank implies his view of killing humans as meaningless as slaughtering cattle. Described as a ghost, a homicidal lunatic, and a psychopath, he defies definition and understanding, existing without remorse, conscience, and the slightest emotion. Chigurh in many ways borders as Nietszche's Übermensch, one who lives by a set of standards and morals all his own and values fate as the path that brings people to him. A scared-out-of-his-wits accountant asks, "Are you going to shoot me?" and Chigurh responds, "That depends. Do you see me?" He is quite possibly the most indelible if not horrifying monster to ever grace the silver screen. Diabolically intelligent and calculating, he's the blunt instrument of death and the philosophical ideal of a nihilistic predestination.

The film is not about who wins in the end, who walks away with a bag full of cash. With a fatalistic and deterministic predisposition, No Country for Old Men is a cynical discussion on the trivial attempt to forestall one's inevitable end. The narrative unfolds as a series of poignant dialogues and monologues, perfectly balancing suspenseful action and gory violence with intelligence and acumen. The film puts into question notions of the postmodern (a term I've never personally cared for), of the arrogance that goes into thinking that one could ever understand the forces that move modernity. Much like Bell's wheelchair-bound Uncle Ellis (Barry Corbin), "Whatcha got ain't nothin new." To think otherwise, "that's vanity."

It's a thing of beauty, where the three main characters could easily cross each other's path in this violently dramatic cat-and-mouse chase. Each move is a step closer to their fates crashing into one another, erupting into a meaningless but destined bloodbath. And yet, they never meet (not in any formal way, at least) or occupy the same screen together. In the end, chaos is the only true order of things. All the accolades are true. No Country for Old Men is a flawless masterpiece, the pièce de résistance of the Coen brothers' career, spanning now three decades. Much like their other features, the film transgresses all the genre elements it employs and fashions a cross between a Western, action, crime drama, thriller, and horror. This is a film all of its own.
Rating: 10/10

The Presentation:
Employing the same AVC encoding from last year's Blu-ray release, Disney Home Entertainment delivers a stunning reference quality video presentation of No Country for Old Men. The exquisite photography of desert landscapes by Roger Deakins is beautifully reproduced in high definition, intimating the vastness of the lifeless and barren scenery which encompasses the characters.

Contrast level runs deliberately hot to reflect the desert heat, but never diminishes picture quality. Every shot exposes miniscule details with clear, subtle textures in articles of clothing as well as the desert floor, and hilltops in the far distance are clearly perceptible, giving the image a wonderful depth of field. Blacks are rich and inky with excellent gradational levels that provide the film with terrific dimensionality. In low-lit scenes, delineation remains strong as fine, resolute lines of background objects are never lost to the darkest shadows. The palette is intentionally reserved for creating an overall tone, but the colors are unblemished and accurately rendered. Facial complexions also appear natural and authentic throughout. No Country for Old Men is a gorgeous-looking film on Blu-ray.
Rating: 9.4/10

Replacing the original uncompressed PCM soundtrack in this Collector's Edition is an attractive DTS-HD Master Audio track that subtly draws viewers in. From the opening monologue, it's clear that dialogue receives the most attention, sounding distinct and precise with nuances in each actor's accent wonderfully reproduced. The film's sound elements don't offer a great deal of surround activity, but the soundstage feels expansive with excellent imaging and balance across the channels. Occasionally, background noises, like traffic, children playing, or dogs barking, can be heard in the distance for generating ambience and extending the soundfield. Rear speakers also come alive as the blasts of gunshots ring through the entire system, enveloping the listening area with a forceful bass response that penetrates the room. While not at the level of demo material, this lossless track offers a rewarding aural experience that nicely compliments the video presentation.
Rating: 8.6/10

Overall Presentation: 9/10

** 9-10 = Reference / 8 = Excellent / 7 = Good /
6 = Satisfactory / 5 = Average / 4 & under = Below Average **

The Extras:
Previously released on Blu-ray last year, No Country for Old Men came with the minimal of supplements, offering very little insight into the film. In this Collector's Edition, Disney Home Entertainment delivers the same package with some extra material not seen before, but still run-of-the-mill featurettes with no audio commentary from the Coen brothers, which would have been nice. All bonus material is presented in standard definition and comes with Digital Copy of the film.

Working with the Coens (8 min)
Cast and crew talk about working with the sibling duo.
The Making of No Country for Old Men (24 min)
A look at the film's production with interviews of cast and crew.
Diary of a Country Sheriff (7 min)
Short compare and contrast of the three main characters.
Josh Brolin's Unauthorized Behind-the-Scenes (9 min)
A lighthearted attempt with cast interviews.
Press Timeline
Featuring nearly five hours of new additional content, this collection of 16 promotional interviews brings the supplemental package to a close. Noteworthy is the excerpt from "The Charlie Rose Show" and the "Spike Jonze Q&A."

Rating: 7/10

Final Thoughts:
No Country for Old Men is a masterpiece where not a single shot is wasted space. Every scene flows into the next and plays an important role to the overall effect. Many will be put off by the film's complexity and refusal to divulge answers in a direct, routine manner. But for those with the patience to dig deeper, the film will reward viewers with one of the most unforgettable films made in recent memory. Supported by a reference level picture quality, an excellent audio presentation, and a bevy of new bonus material, this Blu-ray Collector's Edition of a modern classic is the only way to truly appreciate the film.
Rating: 8/10