No Country for Old Men (3-Disc Special Edition) – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

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The Coen brothers alternate in genres, certainly able to mix it up in nearly anything given the proper story, and up until No Country for Old Men they were always in the same team picture that Martin Scorsese was in before The Departed: Best Director not to win an Academy Award. And if they were going to win an Oscar for Best Direction, No Country for Old Men was certainly a gutsy way to do it.

The film follows the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad. With all but one of the principles dead, retired welder Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) walks in to find a truck full of Heroin and two million in a suitcase. Taking the money, he returns to the scene to fulfill a dying mans wish when he gets caught up in the whirlwind path of sociopathic killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). With Moss on the run, and Chigurh on his path, lawman Ed Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is there to follow their moves in hopes of finding out what happened and why.

Adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy, the film is equal parts crime drama and western. Based in 1980 on the U.S/Mexico border, the film is dark and not typical of what usually the Academy rewards as its Best Picture. But nothing is typical from the artists behind this as well as Fargo, Blood Simple and Burn After Reading, amongst others, as No Country is a dazzling film thats more of a directors film than an actors. This is pure story-telling goodness from these two as the films atmosphere is most important. Everything leads to a certain point in their story-telling manner; were looking into this world and theres no time for anything that doesnt directly relate to moving the story forward.

In this entire story that the Coens provide, an actor emerges from the darkness and just commands rapt attention. While he deservedly won an Oscar for his role, Javier Bardem steals the film as a man whos closest to being the personification of Death in human form. This isnt a layered, nuanced performance like Bardem usually gives. This is evil in a way that is hard to match, as theres no sympathy for this character. Hes not the bad guy you root for; hes the one you pray to whatever God you believe in that you never run into.

One of the unique things in the film, and this is mainly adapted from the novel, is the unique things the main characters do. There is minimal character development but there are certain things the cast does to give a unique impression. From the way Chigurh coldly and calmly goes about killing anything breathing, to simple things like how each actor removes their socks, gives them a purpose. Its the type of film-making you rarely see; we know each character without spending time to get to know them by what they do. It gives an impression of who they are and the Coens are good enough to tell this non verbal story without missing a beat story-wise.

No Country for Old Men also works due to its unorthodox final act. Its jarring and unsettling the first viewing, but one imagines that the Coens didnt design this film to be unspooled on its first viewing. There are lots of nuances that dont come out until you watch the film several times. Its a modern cinema classic and another in the line of recent works of crime drama that have defined the last decade of American cinema.

Presented in a Dolby Digital format in a widescreen presentation, this transfer is the exact same as the prior single disc editions release. Its a spectacular release onto DVD, with a great audio track backing up a magnificent visual presentation. If you have a system that can push the limit of a DVD system then this DVD is well worth the viewing.

Disc One is the exact same disc as the very first edition, down to its extras.

Disc Two is where the new extras begin.

Josh Brolins Unauthorized Behind the Scenes Featurette is a weird piece directed by the films star, Josh Brolin, as they explore some behind the scenes stuff about the film that devolves into some inspired lunacy.

Theres a Publicity Timeline that features the films entire publicity run while it was in theatres. Containing lots of interesting bits and information throughout, its a cavalcade of interviews and is the bulk of the additional material.

This edition of the film also has a Digital Copy of the film, which occupies the third disc.

If you bought the first release of No Country for Old Men, like I did, you spent money you shouldnt have because this is the edition of the film that shouldve been released. Full of extras, including the ones from the first one to really rub it in as a double dip, there isnt nearly as much as one would expect from three discs. Its a marked improvement from the first release but not a spectacular upgrade to it.

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Miramax presents No Country for Old Men (3-Disc Special Edition). Directed by The Coen Brothers. Adapted from the screen by the Coen Brothers from a Cormac McCarthy novel. Starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones. Running time: 122 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: April 7, 2009. Available at Amazon.