Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 21, 2021

With “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets,” directors Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross present a look at the state of the dive bar nation in 2016, spending the day at the Roaring 20’s, a Las Vegas establishment that’s working through its final hours of operation. It’s not cause for celebration, but observance, with the siblings enduring nearly 24 hours inside the joint, capturing the arrival and slow inebriation of customers who truly have nowhere else to be. It’s a documentary (kind of) that doesn’t have much more to give than simple experience, gifting viewers time in a small, worn space with a community of drunks as they banter, argue, flirt, sing, and dance, with the helmers creating a tone poem, examining human behavior as it’s gradually drowned by gallons of booze.

Life is very strange inside the Roaring 20’s. If there’s a main character in the picture, it’s Michael, an alcoholic who’s at the bar for the entire day, treating the place like a home away from home. He’s joined by a variety of characters, including Shay, a bartender balancing professional and parenthood duties, and Bruce, a military vet who rambles on about anything and everything. ‘Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” doesn’t have a plot, with the Ross Brothers simply creating an understanding of the event, picking up on conversations throughout the day. Some of these chats grow a little heated with the help of endless drinks.

Is any of this real? That’s debatable, as “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” has professional actors in the mix, and the Ross Brothers use planned shots to create a structure to the endeavor, giving the cast bits of dialogue to connect ideas. It’s best to accept the picture as it is, which is a fascinating study of broken people trying to deny emotion and delay reality for an entire day, putting on a show of unfiltered thoughts as the Roaring 20’s comes to a close.

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is more of a color display, with intense lighting around the bar and outside on Las Vegas streets giving the picture deep reds, golds, and blues. Artful asides also deliver bright hues. Detail is satisfactory, picking up on weathered customer faces and overwhelming bar decoration. Exteriors retain depth, looking at street activity. Delineation is strong with a dim lighting and evening adventures around the property.

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix secures sharp soundtrack selections, working through various genres, including an opening country tune. Percussion is deep and instrumentation is precise. Music also offers a circular presence in the surrounds, joined by customer bustle to generate an appreciation of the daylong vibe. Conversations are understood without difficulty, keeping voices clear, even during scenes of extraordinary drunkenness.

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "After Hours" (35:57, HD) is a reunion show with directors Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, with the pair getting together during lockdown time in America, entering a bar with various screens connected to a few cast and crew members from "Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets." Catch-up time is offered, along with welfare checks. David Byrne appears at the very end, closing out the featurette with a song.

• "Las Vegas" (5:54, HD) is something of a making-of for "Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets," with the Ross Brothers detailing their filmmaking adventure via footage from their adventures around the city. It's interesting to see the technical side of the shoot, watching the pair set up shots and get chased out of a gas station.

• "Security Camera" (7:11, HD) is a collection of bar footage that showcases the Ross Brothers in action around the Roaring 20's, winding around the tight space as they photograph customers in motion. Commentary is provided by interview audio with the Ross Brothers.

• A Teaser Trailer (1:00, HD) and a Theatrical Trailer (1:51, HD) are included.

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a level of chaos to "Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets," studying constant activity within the bar as it increases during the day, watching people unravel and act up while trying to master some form of communication. The Ross Brothers try to get artful with the work, but they're better off with the basics of human interaction, making an interesting movie about sloppy people endeavoring to understand one another during a moment in time when dive bar comfort and camaraderie is about to slip away.