No Country for Old Men 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

No Country for Old Men 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 12, 2024

Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men" (2007) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with the directors; new program with director of photography Roger Deakins and associate producer David Diliberto; archival documentaries; archival cast and crew interviews; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is either God’s country or the Devil’s playground. It can’t be both. This much beauty and this much violence and death do not mix up. If it is the former, God has forgotten it and must return to fix it. If it is the latter, then the Devil has fooled everyone and built a place whose true colors must be exposed.

While the Coen Brothers may and probably have described it slightly differently, this is the core message of their award-winning film No Country for Old Men, which is neither a religious nor political film. It is a straightforward genre film that is part neo-noir, part neo-western, reconnecting its creators with their roots. It is why occasionally No Country of Old Men will remind you of Blood Simple.

No Country for Old Men is based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name, but it is pretty much impossible not to think of it as an original project. For various reasons, too. For example, it introduces a psychotic killer whose visual presence and striking authenticity cannot be reproduced with a text description. Indeed, the psychotic killer is a creature of the film, and once removed from it, he becomes something else. (Hannibal Lecter, who was born in a novel too, has an identical relationship with The Silence of the Lambs). The same can be said about the environment that the psychotic killer and his targets share. This should not surprise anyone who has followed the work of the Coen Brothers, since the majority of the films they have done treat their environment as equal to their characters. There is also that thing in the air that interacts with it, which is present in many of their films. It is hard to define. It seems like a mixture of madness, lawlessness, desperation, fear, and something else that only the Coen Brothers know where to get.

All of the drama and action in No Country for Old Men take place in the American Southwest. While hunting near the Rio Grande, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) reaches a remote area where drug sellers and buyers have killed each other in a shootout and, while trusting his instincts, picks up a suitcase with two million dollars. Not realizing that there is a transponder hidden in the money, and while trying to figure out the best plan to start a new life with his wife (Kelly Macdonald), Llewelyn becomes a target for Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a freelancing, brutal killer. For a while, Llewelyn manages to stay a few steps ahead of the killer, but then gets hurt, slows down, and pops up on the radar of veteran Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Meanwhile, one of the parties involved in the failed drug deal brings in fixer Carson Welles (Woodey Harrelson) to take out the freelancing killer and convince Llewelyn to return the missing money.

No Country for Old Men won four Oscar statuettes, and the only actor to get one was Bardem. While excellent as the psychotic killer, Bardem is just one of many pieces in a carefully arranged cinematic puzzle. Some, like Jones, who is outstanding, are simply not given the same gravitational pull, and yet the material where they are featured is crucial. Without it, transforming the environment into a character of equal importance becomes impossible.

Roger Deakins lenses the rugged and urban areas where the psychotic killer and his targets are seen much like Barry Sonnenfeld did the rural areas in Blood Simple. However, the digital tinting of the visuals takes away from the organic beauty of these areas and ultimately gives No Country for Old Men a contemporary appearance that is rather underwhelming. An unmanipulated appearance, like the one Blood Simple or even various ‘70s road films have, would have been far more effective because the American Southwest does need help to be a cinematic jaw-dropper.

No Country for Old Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of No Country for Old Men is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this release:

"Supervised and approved by director of photography Roger Deakins, this new 4K digital master was created from a 4K digital intermediate made from the 35mm original camera negative. The original 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the digital master audio files.

Master supervisor: Roger Deakins.
Colorist: EFILM; Company 3, Santa Monica, CA."

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-19 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #24-31 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a new 4K restoration of the film supervised by director of photography Roger Deakins. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision and later spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. I also did several comparisons with the original Blu-ray release of the film from 2008.

The entire film looks incredibly lush and vibrant, sharp and crystal-clear. All visuals, regardless of whether they feature plenty or very little light, boast tremendous detail too, so on a large screen there is a lot to see. Obviously, this is hardly surprising considering how recent the film is, but what I saw on my system was still very impressive. Colors are very rich, in a few areas possibly even too rich, but I must say that I tend to prefer how they are balanced on the native 4K presentation with Dolby Vision enabled. Why? Some of the yellow tinting becomes a tad garish in 1080p, while in native 4K the wider color gamut seems to accommodate the brightest hues better. Some viewers may disagree, but I prefer this look. Darker ares are better balanced, too. In fact, I think that this is the area where the new 4K makeover excels the most because the previous 1080p presentation produces too aggressive blacks that ocasionally begin to crush, plus several other equally strong darker colors. Image stability is outstanding. The surface of the visuals is immaculate as well.

I compared various darker areas and select brighter panoramic shots in native 4K and 1080p. In native 4K, all of the footage looks marginally yet noticeably better. In 1080p, the darker areas can use some encoding optimizations as well. This being said, both presentations are very easy to describe as wonderful.

No Country for Old Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is outstanding. The shootouts and crashes sound phenomenal, almost as if they are happening in front or around the viewer, or at least this is how I felt while revisiting the film. However, the original Blu-ray release has a great lossless track too, so anyone looking for a dramatic upgrade in quality will be underwhelmed. I did not compare specific areas because I never felt that I was hearing more or less.

No Country for Old Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Joel and Ethan Coen with Megan Abbott - in this new program, the Coen Brothers explain how Cormac McCarthy's novel appeared on their radar and discuss the work they did while turning it into a film. There are some particularly interesting comments about the dark humor that permeates No Country for Old Men and the importance of the right locations for it. The program was produced in the summer of 2024. In English, not subtitled. (41 min).

• Roger Deakins and David Diliberto - in this new program, director of photography Roger Deakins and associate producer David Diliberto discuss the enormous scouting work that was done during the pre-production process, the motel/motel rooms and landscapes that were chosen, and the visual style and genre identity of No Country for Old Men. The conversation is conducted by Megan Abbott. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Interviews with the Cast - presented here are three archival interviews that were conducted to promote No Country for Old Men. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).
  
  1, Javier Bardem
  2. Josh Brolin
  3. Tommy Lee Jones
  4. Kelly Macdonald

• An Incredibly Unauthorized Documentary - presented here is a short behind-the-scene documentary made by Josh Brolin during the filming of No Country for Old Men. Included in it are clips from interviews with the Coen Brothers, Joshn Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Woody Harrelson, among others. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• The Making of "No Country for Old Men" - this archival program takes a closer look at the production of No Country for Old Men. Included in it are clips from interviews with the Coen Brothers, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin, among others. It has a lot of raw footage from the shooting of the film as well. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Working with the Coens - in this archival program, Javier Bardem recalls when and how he was approached by the Coens with an offer to do Anton Chigurh. Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, Tommy Lee Jones, costume designer Mary Zophers, and stunt coordinator Jery Hewitt, among others, comments on their collaboration with the Coens as well. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Diary of a Country Sheriff - this archival program takes a closer look at Tommy Lee Jones' character and the area he is responsible for. Included in it are clips from interviews with Tommy Lee Jones, the Coen Brothers, executive producer Robert Graf, and Javier Bardem, among others. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for No Country for Old Men. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by author Francine Prose and a 2007 piece on the film by author Larry McMurtry, as well as technical credits.

No Country for Old Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Genre films visiting the American Southwest rarely disappoint because they produce visuals and atmosphere that are always special. No Country for Old Men has great characters, too. The only thing that I do not like about this film is its contemporary appearance. It would have been so much better if it was shot like the great genre films of the '70s and '80s. Criterion's upcoming combo pack introduces a fabulous new 4K makeover supervised by director of photography Roger Deakins. A separate Blu-ray release streets on the same date as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.