People always say “if at first you do not like something, you should give it another chance,” and that general principal is typically a good one, the exception being that if you have deep vitriol for something, your mind is probably made up and whatever it is most likely isn’t for you. In 2007, Joel and Ethan Coen wrote and directed No Country for Old Men which ended up winning Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director, as well as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Javier Bardem. 13-year-old me (when the movie was released) was completely bored and unmoved by the movie and was generally shocked and surprised when it won the four accolades. Due to my complete uninterest and dismissive thoughts on the movie, I never saw it again, until this year. I went in with fresh eyes and a much better outlook at Cormac McCarthy’s (The Road) work and more appreciation of the Coen brothers (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) and it was like watching a brand-new movie for the first time — a complete revelation and different experience.
Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
While I wasn’t a fan of the movie originally, seeing this now and appreciating it for what it is (a masterpiece) is only helped by the brilliant execution that Criterion brings to the forefront in their restorations. This digitally restored movie was mastered in 4K and supervised and approved by director of photography Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) who is arguably one of the best cinematographers of the 21st century. Not only did he supervise and ensure that the restoration kept the Coen Brothers’s vision intact, he wanted to ensure that the shots he captured were respected and presented in the absolute best way possible. After watching all 122 minutes, there is no question that this presentation is sublime. What is interesting, and something we cannot answer unfortunately, is that the movie was originally shot on 35 mm but it does not appear this was mastered from that negative. There isn’t a reason why as Criterion usually will try to master it from the original source material if they can, but with Deakins’s involvement with the mastering and the transfer there is no question that this is the way that satisfies everyone in the creative team and it is truly a testament to the brilliant work that Criterion does to allow films to be seen in the best way possible. The only argument that is going to explode on the internet is that since this was a 35 mm-shot film (not restored from, though), there is no grain in this 4K restoration, but it doesn’t look waxy and there does not appear to be any DNR (digital noise reduction), and again, as previously mentioned, Deakins supervised and approved this transfer. In Deakins we trust.
Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
If you’re not familiar with Cormac McCarthy’s work than there really is no better place to jump in than No Country for Old Men (arguably one of his best adapted works) which features a deadly cat-and-mouse game that’s entirely focused on greed, money, and determination. The movie focuses on Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) as he is determined, more than ever, to get the $2 million stolen from him after a drug deal has gone wrong. He is going to stop at absolutely nothing until he gets his hand back on the money he successfully could claim. However, it all goes haywire when Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles across the deadly crime scene and steals the money, sending Anton on a mission to retrieve his cash and putting them in each other’s crosshairs. Anton’s methods are far from orthodox, using a canister of compressed air to kill (amongst other weapons) but he is no-nonsense and will do whatever it takes. He’s not alone though, as Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is hot on his tail as the man of the law wanting to get his man. Truly an ensemble of actors bringing everything to the forefront to create a gripping story that is highlighted by the downright terrifying nature of Javier Bardem’s performance.
Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
With Criterion specifically, home viewers get the best of the best. It’s rarely, if ever, bare bones and always features essays. In this case, it includes an essay by author Francine Prose and a 2007 piece written by Larry McMurty on the film itself. There is new cover art illustrated by Juan Esteban R that is arguably better than any of the original art that was used. Moreover though, there are five carried-over features and two new features on this Criterion. And, importantly, all of the features are found on the Blu-ray disk of the set as the 4K itself boasts JUST the film and subtitles. The Blu-ray features the movie, the subtitles, and the entire allotment of special features, which confirms that the 4K disk is a BD-100 disk (meaning it’s a 100 Gb disk allowing the film to be presented as effortlessly and excellently as possible) with Dolby Vision and HDR10, truly the best way to visit or revisit the film. Criterion hits another one straight out of the park and delivers the definitive audio-visual presentation of No Country for Old Men.
No Country for Old Men Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital master, supervised and approved by director of photography Roger Deakins, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- *NEW* conversation between filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and author Megan Abbott
- *NEW* conversation between Deakins and associate producer David Diliberto, also featuring Abbott
- Archival interviews with actors Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kelly Macdonald
- Behind-the-scenes documentary by Brolin
- Three documentaries about the making of the film featuring on-set footage and interviews with members of the cast and crew
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Francine Prose and a 2007 piece on the film by author Larry McMurtry
- New illustration by Juan Esteban R.
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray December 10th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection No Country for Old Men webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
This is such a bizarre write-up. I could skip right to the errors in describing who Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is (he’s a hitman, nobody stole anything from him), or descriptions of his weapon (I guess he used compressed air to kill people, like Henry Lee Oswald used gunpowder to kill Kennedy?), but who asked for the 13-year-old’s first take on a cinema classic? Seriously, what is this?