Bad Country Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Bad Country Blu-ray Movie Review

Bland Country.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 27, 2014

The direct-to-video Action film landscape has become a dumping ground for interchangeable and indistinguishable movies, movies with dark and brooding characters accompanied by a matching atmosphere, neither of which ever amount to much below the surface. Bad Country embodies everything the modern DTV Action flick does rather poorly, including the obligatory convoluted story and lack of focus that together equal a rambling pace and poor structural coherence. It also features big stars in uninventive roles, giving unimaginative performances, and trying to keep the movie afloat during uninspired shootouts. Chris Brinker, film's director and noted as one of the producers on the cult-favorite The Boondock Saints, passed away during post-production, no doubt setting the film back and keeping it from becoming as tight and polished as it might have otherwise been. Still, the final product is, at its best, a terribly generic experience with little value to its name beyond the cast list and suitability as a mindless time-killer.

Busted.

1983 Louisiana. It's called "Hell with the lid off" and it's about to solidify that reputation. When undercover cop Bud Carter's (Willem Dafoe) cover is blown, he takes in a handful of midlevel illegal gem dealers and is ultimately led to Jesse Weiland (Matt Dillon), a higher-up contract killer, Vietnam veteran, Neo-Nazi, and soon-to-be father. Carter busts him and hauls him in, ultimately convincing him to help bring down one of Louisiana's most notorious criminal kingpins, Lutin (Tom Berenger). Things turn extraordinarily dangerous, jeopardizing the case, the lives of all involved, and everything Jesse holds dear.

Bad Country sets a rather poor tone from the outset and never recovers. An undercover cop finds himself in the midst of several illegal gem dealers and is outed when he appears on the television as part of a local newscast. What sort of police department allows its undercover officers to be seen strolling out of the building, particularly with a news crew on the scene? One can only hope that, for the officers' safety, protocol has since changed (and this is based on a true story; who knows what parts of it are straight out of the official record). It's a rather lazy plot device meant to set the story into motion, though how much "motion" there is beyond the literal camera movements and actor maneuverings is up for debate. Bad Country is the victim of a simple, recycled story made needlessly complicated and overflowing with all of the usual elements, such as internal strife, mistrust, and anger that ultimately spiral the situation out of control and into the obligatory parade of violence.

Sadly, even the action scenes fail to elicit a positive response. They're absent any real energy and urgency, playing more like a rehearsal rather than a final go. They are often of the variety, particularly at the end, where the bad guys empty an entire magazine at the hero, only to be taken out with a single shot in return. There's no purpose, feeling of fear, or any sort of viable emotions accompanying them (or anything else the movie has to offer, for that matter), creating only a barrage of bullets and a din of sound but not any real dramatic connection with the audience and working only as basic story advancement. Everything about the movie, in fact, feels off, from its pacing to its storytelling, from its technical craftsmanship to its performances. Nothing feels fully fleshed out, purposeful, or meaningful. It's as if the cast and crew realized that the film had no potential to be be anything more than a throwaway Action film and gave only a matching effort. The film does nothing well but neither does it do anything so poorly -- beyond, maybe, one or two secondary performances -- that it will be remembered as anything more than the perfect example of forgettable filler.

Bad Country Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bad Country does sport a fairly good 1080p transfer. The picture takes on a somewhat flat, smooth digital appearance, a tick below the finest in modern HD video source material but nevertheless a good example of digital's strengths. Though it lacks the organic nature of film and looks a little pasty and smooth, it captures oftentimes exacting details on clothing and faces (a good example comes during an outdoor dining scene in chapter four). Close-ups reveal the finest facial hair details -- of which there are many -- and skin imperfections. Colors are fairly represented, though not particularly vibrant and often favoring a very slightly warm shading. Skin textures appear mostly accurate, and black levels are deep and satisfying, though a little noisy in the darkest backdrops. All around, however, this is a solid, enjoyable presentation from Sony.

Bad Country Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bad Country features a decent but somewhat underwhelming DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Some early gunshots don't produce much energy or oomph, but things do improve in later shootouts where there's a more audible snap and a more obvious punch. The track does immerse the listener with frequent examples of quality surround ambient support, notably buzzing insects and other natural Southern outdoor sonic flavors. Music enjoys a sufficient stage presence, lacking a full surround support element but playing with adequate front-end spacing and clarity. Like that early gunfire, however, it lacks that lifelike precision found on superior tracks. Dialogue flows smoothly and evenly from the center. Though not a reference track, this one gets the job done with general accuracy and to baseline satisfaction.

Bad Country Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bad Country contains a featurette and deleted scenes.

• Deleted Scenes (HD): Bud Talks to Prison Guard (0:33), Jesse Dreams of Lynn (0:33), Bud's Birthday Present (0:47), Bud Loses It in Bar (1:54), Lutin Packs Money (0:32), Bud Watches and Follows (2:39), and Bud Trails Jacket to Bill (0:51).
• Taking Down an Empire: On the Set (HD, 11:53): A piece that features cast and crew recounting the plot, character dynamics, the production's history, Chris Brinker's passion for the project, crafting a few of the end action scenes, and more.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Bad Country Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bad Country's sluggish pace, boring action, questionable performances, bland story, and overly complicated dynamics all add up to one of the most inconsequential films of the year and the poster child for the forgettable dark and brooding DTV action film with a lot of big names but not a lot of big ambitions. Sony's Blu-ray release of Bad Country is equally forgettable. Good video and decent audio are supported by a collection of deleted scenes and a short featurette. Pass.