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Avialable at Amazon.com |
I had the pleasure of reading McCarthy’s novel prior to seeing the Coens capture the novel’s prose and story to perfection. The novel itself is an aggravating reading affair. Maybe it’s because there was no quotation marks or clarification as to who is talking in a particular situation. Mere quibbles.
The film’s opening is a reminder of how far Joel and Ethan Coen have come finding success within the Hollywood machine. Twelve films over a twenty-four year period, they have been fortunate enough to make the films that they want. The choice of a montage, of Texas landscapes, to lead us into the story harkens back to their first feature, Blood Simple – a film that many like to draw comparisons. Well, the Coens certainly return to their roots with this Southwest crime thriller. But it’s more than just a suspense yarn. If you look and listen hard enough you’ll see and hear themes of life, death and the changing times underscore the action on screen.
The year is 1980. Our protagonist is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a man who has witnessed many things in his lifetime. It is his voice we hear over the montage of Texas serenity, talking about sending a boy to the gaschamber in Huntsville. … he told me that he had been planning to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he’d do it again. Said he knew he was goin’ to hell.
He is the backbone to this story about a man who makes a decision that ultimately sets off a chain reaction of violence. Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is the man, a Vietnam veteran who happens to find a load of heroin and a satchel full of two million dollars. A drug deal gone bad. The temptation to take the money arises quickly and now he finds himself wanted by various parties, most notably Anton Chigurh (pronounced “sugar”).
Javier Bardem, fresh off his recent Academy Award win for playing Chigurh, is brilliant in the role. There’s an aura about him; his moptop hair-do alone gives him the distinctive look. Pair that with his deadpan gaze and an air gun and you have one of the most memorable madmen in cinema’s history. Actually, it is in a scene where his sadism is reserved that you see him at his best. The way he stares a gas station owner directly in the face and asks him to call the flip of a coin – heads or tails. The toss represents one’s fate and whether you are destined to live or die.
People who disagree with the ending, and whether or not it was stupid, fulfilling, whatever, need only look at the film’s title: No Country for Old Men. The title itself gives the impression that today’s landscape is no place for someone of age, someone like Ed Tom who has seen things unimaginable, yet is beleaguered by a guy like Chigurh.
Watch it again and you notice things. Like I overlooked the straight-faced humor of Jones as the sheriff. Then, the closer you look at the film, you see that Llewellyn, Chigurh and Ed Tom never share the screen together. Well, this only strengthens my appreciation of the McCarthy adaptation. The Coens are back in rarefied form. Their collaboration with renowned cinematographer Roger Deakins allows for a very realistic depiction of West Texas circa 1980. Sparse and not very stylized. No Country for Old Men is dark, edgy and pertinent to the world we are living in now. The future is full of uncertainty and consequences.
No Country for Old Men has one of the best Blu-ray transfers. The colors are naturalistic and the skintones are the lifeblood of the 1080p/AVC encode. The result is a level of authenticity that is clearly elevated by the Coens’ collaboration with long-time cinematographer Roger Deakins. From the harsh desert landscape to the blacks of a nighttime setting, the detail is stark. The detail to strands of hair and even desert growth is stunning.
As far as the audio goes, it’s not as impressive as the video transfer. The uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround track (48kHz/24-bit) is good thanks to the sound designers who manage to give us great acoustics when it comes to Carter Burwell’s musical score (or lack thereof) and gunshots and explosions. The gunshots will jar you, and Chigurh’s cattle gun will leave you with chills.
If you own any of the Coens’ movies on DVD, you know that they aren’t loaded to the gills with special features. There are a few featurettes here and there, but rarely do you get a commentary track. (The last Coen Brothers’ film with a DVD commentary was The Man Who Wasn’t There.) This Blu-ray release comes with three featurettes that also appear on the standard DVD release. They are of the EPK variety, and they attempt to shed light on the film’s production.
The Making of No Country for Old Men (24:29) — is an overview of the film’s production with comments from the cast, the Coens, and the production crew. It’s pretty straightforward in delivering information about the shoot, the script, cast and post-production. Sadly, it doesn’t attempt to theorize the motivations of the characters. But there is some good stuff about all the bloodletting in the film, especially the strangulation scene and the prosthetics that were used.
Working with the Coens (8:07) — is a short feature where the principal cast talks about what it was like to work with the Coens. Considering that most of the cast involved had never worked with the Coens prior, the comments have a genuine quality of what it was like on-set. Bardem thought that he would never have a chance to work with the Coens, considering the types of films the Coens had made in the past. Listening to the actors talk about the Coens and their relaxed nature on the set it reminded me of Clint Eastwood and how he’s all about getting a scene right in one take.
Diary of a Country Sheriff (6:44) — is a brief feature that compares and contrasts the characters of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell and Anton Chigurh. Both Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem appear in interviews and discuss how each went about crafting their characters.
Trailers — prior to getting to the main menu Disney/Buena Vista gives us Blu-ray trailers for National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets and Gone Baby Gone.
No Country for Old Men could easily be classified as horror with all the bodies that pile up and the severity of their deaths. But it is a thriller with thematic elements of life, death, and destiny. This Blu-ray edition may not have compelling extras, but the quality of the video transfer and PCM audio track make up for it. The Coen Brothers have returned to their roots, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Definitely recommended.
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Miramax Films and Paramount Vantage present No Country for Old Men. Written for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. Running time: 122 minutes. Rated R (for strong graphic violence and some language). Released on Blu-ray: March 11, 2008. Avialable at Amazon.com
About Travis Leamons
