Blu-ray Movie Reviews

West Texas local boy Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad while out hunting and discovers a suitcase filled with $2 million in cash. By claiming the money as his own, he becomes the target of Anton Chigur (Javier Bardem), a sociopathic killer with no sense of humor who will kill anyone who gets in the way of reclaiming the money. As Moss flees for his life, local Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) does all he can to interrupt the killing spree that Chigur leaves in his wake.

Released last year on Blu-ray, I'm surprised to see another edition released this soon of the Coen brothers' masterful adaptation of the book by Cormac McCarthy. Upon a second viewing, I appreciate Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning performance even more—he's one of the most evil characters I've seen in a long time.

As with the previous Blu-ray, the presentation is fantastic and appears to be the exact same encode. The fine detail is exquisite and never wavers, whether in a close-up or a long shot. The black level is rock solid with excellent depth and shadow delineation with a laid-back color palette befitting the 1980 time period and the dry Texas countryside. My only minor complaint is some instances of banding in the skylines, but thankfully this is a rare occurrence.

The uncompressed PCM 5.1 track found on the previous release is replaced by a DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, which is impressive in its own right. Dialog is crisp and clear from the moment you are greeted by Jones' southern drawl, and it only gets better from there. Dialog is always intelligible, and the movie's many gunshots have a creepy, lifelike quality. The ambience from the surround speakers creates a feeling of impending death, which is sure to come at the hands of Anton Chigur.

All of the bonus features from the previous release are found on the first disc along with some new interviews with the Coen brothers, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem that offer viewers a more in-depth view at the making of the film. Rounding things out is a digital copy for use on a Windows PC or iTunes.

This is not a film for the faint of heart, so be warned going in. But if you are a fan of cinema, it's a must-watch. If you own the previous Blu-ray release, there's no improvement in the audio and video—both discs are fantastic—and unless you want to see the additional interviews or want the digital copy, I see no reason to double dip on the title.

Release Date: April 7, 2009
Studio: Miramax/Disney

Movie: 9/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics