Hard Country Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Hard Country Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 5, 2026

David Greene's "Hard Country" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The only bonus feature on the release is a new video essay produced by critic and filmmaker Chris O'Neil. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It doesn't take long to figure out that in this small Texas town, there are hardly any opportunities for people to do something meaningful with their lives. Occasionally, a few dare to dream big, but the majority have concluded that it is a waste of time to look beyond the horizon and, for the most part, are content with the way things are.

Jodie (Kim Basinger), a twentysomething, wants something more out of her 'normal' life, and the more she thinks about her future, the more convinced she becomes that Texas should not be part of it. But she has never been outside of the Lone Star State and is fully aware that even if she wanted to leave, her boyfriend, Kyle (Jan-Michael Vincent), would never agree to follow her. What is worse is that even if she somehow managed to change his mind, it is inevitable that they would both struggle even more -- for years she has made only a few bucks an hour talking to rude strangers on the phone, while Kyle has been breathing poisonous fumes in a local fence factory. Who is going to want to hire them?

An unexpected visit from a childhood friend, who, years ago, relocated to California to pursue a career as a country singer, finally gives Jodie the courage to make the crucial move that could give her a good excuse to leave her hometown. She secretly meets a recruiting agent from a major airline company and, a few weeks later, is notified that she can have a new job if she agrees to relocate to Southern California, where she must complete a training course. Almost immediately after revealing the news to Kyle, however, she is presented with an awful dilemma: ignore the job offer and keep Kyle in her life, or abandon their relationship completely and start a new life alone in a distant place she has only seen in cheap tourist brochures.

Despite coming from the early ‘80s and having a distinct American flavor, David Greene’s Hard Country seems like a very distant cousin of the famous ‘kitchen sink’ dramas that numerous British directors shot during the early ‘60s. Indeed, it oozes the same type of authentic energy and offers an unpolished look at life in rural Texas by essentially exposing many of the same social contrasts that the ‘kitchen sink’ dramas did.

The flavor that Greene adds to the narrative is where the crucial difference comes from. The big picture -- which is that the socio-economic conditions in the small town are forcing just about everyone to settle for a very specific type of existence -- never becomes a secondary element of the narrative, but Greene occasionally pushes it aside and emphasizes a lot of the good things that the locals experience. As a result, it also becomes easy to see the positive side of living in a small place where people do not miss the hustle and bustle of city life.

Something else worth mentioning is the fact that Hard Country also routinely shifts the angle from which the drama is observed. There are entire dilemmas that are seen strictly through Jodie’s eyes, and then after a resolution emerges, Kyle takes her spot. This works very nicely because it allows one to grasp that there are contrasting philosophies of life that can both be right for completely different reasons.

Hard Country has a cracking soundtrack featuring several legitimately great country tracks. The best ones are Michael Martin Murphey and Katty Moffatt’s “Hard Country” and “Take It As It Comes”, and Tanya Tucker’s “Somebody Must Have Loved You Right Last Night” and “I’m Gonna Love You Anyway”.

Hard Country Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hard Country arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

Hard Country made its high-definition debut with this Blu-ray release in 2017. The late Walt Olsen from Scorpion Releasing was able to commission a new master for it, sourced from the best original elements available. My understanding is that Olsen could locate only a 35mm print, which is somewhat unfortunate because Hard Country is not a small B-film. On the other hand, without Olsen's master, Hard Country almost certainly would not be on the marketplace.

This new Australian Blu-ray release is sourced from the same master. The visuals it produces have an entirely predictable quality. They tend to be a bit soft, slightly rough at times, boasting an average at best dynamic range. Also, their colors, while quite pleasing, reveal small inconsistencies in terms of saturation. This said, there are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections, and while ideally the entire film should have a more vibrant and sharper appearance, all of its visuals retain a fine organic quality. In other words, the current master makes the film look dated, but it still allows it to look like an authentic early '80s film. Image stability is good. However, there are a few somewhat uneven transitions. Small surface imperfections, like blemishes and tiny marks, can be spotted from time to time, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Hard Country Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is surprisingly good. In fact, it easily creates the impression that it may have been extracted from a vastly superior source. I would not declare that there isn't any room for meaningful improvements -- the soundtrack has several uneven areas, so at the very least some rebalancing work can be introduced in the future -- but the overall dynamic strength of the current lossless track will almost certainly be replicated in a future lossless track. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

Hard Country Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Theatrical Films of David Greene - this exclusive new video essay was created by critic and filmmaker Chris O'Neil. In English, not subtitled. (35 min).

Hard Country Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I rushed to take a look at this recent Australian Blu-ray release because David Greene's Hard Country is one of my all-time favorite '80s films. It is sort of a Texas-style 'kitchen sink' drama with a whole lot of country music, featuring two outstanding performances by Kim Basinger and Jan-Michael Vincent. Nearly a decade ago, in America, the late Walt Olsen from Scorpion Releasing commissioned a new master and the film made its high-definition debut. The Australian Blu-ray release is sourced from the same master. However, it uses a dual-layer disc, it adds optional subtitles, and a nice new program by critic and filmmaker Chris O'Neil. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.