When the 2007 Best Picture Winner first released on DVD I warned that the bare bones edition of No Country for Old Men would eventually get an upgrade and on Tuesday you can finally get your hands on it. However, if your excitement led you to buy the first DVD there is a mail-in rebate for a little compensation. I want to praise the Coen Brothers and Miramax films because this is the treatment that DVD fans want for their favorite films. We want excellent packaging that has a good shelf presentation and then littered with features that run the gamut from actor retrospective to mockumentary to How-They-Did-It behind the scenes tours.
Plenty has been said about the film since its release in 2007, but for the sake of the few who missed the film it follows Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) a hard nosed Texan who stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad and takes the bag of money that was lying there. The dealer who lost the money sends a terrifying hitman named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) to track the money, and the Sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to catch up with either man to stop the wild violence that is sweeping through the state. And if the primary cast wasn’t strong enough they are supported by Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers), who is vastly underrated, Kelly MacDonald (Choke), who is really coming into her own in the world of indie films, and the wildly versatile Stephen Root (Office Space). The movie, in typical Coen fashion (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, Fargo) spans multiple genres which in this film includes Noir, Chase, Thriller, Crime Drama, Horror and even some Comedy. Just be ready for some intense violence on par with the wood chipper scene from Fargo.
The time spent upgrading the DVD was extremely fruitful and they put together a banging three disc collection worthy of the Coen Brothers’ classic. The only issue I have with the film is the glaring lack of a Commentary track which is typical given their DVD history, but any other type of featurette is here in triplicate. Javier Bardem was a big fan of the Coen Brothers and when he entered the Hollywood scene he told his agent his dream job would be on their set, and you can see his enthusiasm in the promotional material he helped create. You also get Josh Brolin who dove into the role and even made a humorous Behind-the-Scenes feature himself. I don’t think there is a featurette that doesn’t include both of the actors, and I respect them more for their effort beyond the Oscar caliber performances. They hustled and did a whirlwind tour of post filming interviews and were clearly available between scenes of filming to talk about the experience. The DVDs also have a unique set-up which has the press tour features on a timeline so you can watch them as they were released, or flip a coin (Call it…Friendo) to have the disc randomly choose a promo segment. The only problem with all the coverage is that you get some redundancies, but that can be diminished by breaking up your viewings over two-three separate sittings, instead of the five hour marathon I put myself through.
Special Features
The Making of No Country for Old Men
Working with the Coens
The Diary of a Country Sheriff
Josh Brolin’s Unauthorized Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
Q&A with Joel and Ethan Coen, Roger Deakins, and the Sound and Production Design Crews
Charlie Rose Featuring Joel and Ethan Coen, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem
EW.com “Just a Minute…With Javier Bardem”
Variety Screening Series Q&A
Instore Appearance with Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin
ABC “Popcorn” Video
Channel 4 News – Joel and Ethan Coen Appearance
Lunch with David Poland – IKLIPZ – Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin Interview
WNBC Reel Talk with Lyons & Bailes – Josh Brolin
LA WGAW Q&A Panel
Additional 6 Audio Interviews/Podcasts
Digital Copy of the Film
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