Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Wonderful Country Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 24, 2015

In 1959’s “The Wonderful Country,” Robert Mitchum portrays a mercenary caught between the U.S.A. and Mexico, living a conflicted life without a true homeland. Adapted from the best seller by Tom Lea, “The Wonderful Country” plays exactly like a literary creation, with a page-turning tone that emphasizes matters of the heart and soul, not traditional western suspense. The stasis can be taxing at times, with director Robert Parrish (“A Town Called Hell”) perhaps too caught up in melodrama to make a suitably engaging feature, missing opportunities to tighten suspense and truly depict the torturous conflict at hand.

Handed a challenging role of multi-cultural affiliation, Mitchum doesn’t achieve unseen thespian heights with his performance, struggling to provide adequately soulful definition to a man who’s beginning to understand his place in the world. “The Wonderful Country” has involving discussions of loyalty and longing, with Julie London portraying a troubled love interest, but Parrish tends to linger on passive, expository scenes, missing a chance to bring “The Wonderful Country” to a riveting boil as allegiances are questioned and borders are crossed, leaving Mitchum’s character in a particularly dire position between two hostile countries.

The Wonderful Country Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows some slight wear and tear, with the source carrying bursts of scratches, while speckling remains constant. Periodically, bluish discoloration is found on the edges of the frame. Being a Technicolor production, hues are accentuated, creating bold primaries on costuming and outdoor greenery. Skintones are agreeably amplified as well. Period cinematography permits a degree of softness, but close-ups manage adequate detail, bringing out limitations in make-up and the general creased appearance of the male characters. Delineation has its struggles, but nothing is completely lost to solidification.

The Wonderful Country Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is hampered by age, emerging with a slightly muffled listening experience, lacking desired crispness to bring out the flavors of the setting and the performances. Dialogue exchanges aren't completely smothered, but they lack definition, losing dramatic strength at times. Scoring is equally subdued, missing inspired instrumentation. Atmospherics are lively, but the overall softening of the track leads to more of a muddled presentation than a precise one. Hiss and pops are detected.

The Wonderful Country Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:56, HD) is included.

The Wonderful Country Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Unfortunately, "The Wonderful Country" is on the dull side, though what stings the most about the viewing experience is the potential for a more robust conflict and thorny plotting. The production holds too tightly on its central idea of exile to work up pleasing screen energy, but performances comes through clearly, and technical credits are generally superb. In the end, the western atmosphere is felt more visually than emotionally, hobbling what passes for ambition in "The Wonderful Country."