After more than 20 years of film-making, Joel and Ethan Coen finally struck Oscar gold with 2007’s No Country for Old Men. Among other awards, it nabbed the much coveted Best Picture prize.

Did the Coens have to compromise their quirky/dark style to gain this honor? Nope.

For good or for bad, Country feels distinctly like a Coen Brothers product, though it clearly favors the dark over the quirky. This means one should think more “bodies in the wood chipper” than “deadpan, pregnant, heavily accented Midwest cop”.

Set in desolate west Texas circa 1980, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong. Among the corpses, he discovers lots of narcotics as well as a suitcase that contains a couple million bucks. Like many people would, he snags the cash and goes on his merry way.

This doesn’t leave him free and clear, though. Hired assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) goes after the money and doesn’t plan to simply ask nicely for its return. If he catches Moss, he will shoot first and ask questions later – a plan that applies to anyone else he encounters as well.

While Moss tries to keep ahead of Chigurh, local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) tracks both of them. The film follows these threads and some other complications.

And gets darned bloody while it’s at it. Although we’ve seen some gritty Best Picture winners, Country stands out as something different to me.

As violent and dark as some of them could be, they focused on the heroic side of things. That contrasts with something as grim as Country.

For instance, The Departed mostly focused on the perspective of an undercover cop who infiltrates a criminal organization. It features ethical complexities but maintains a clear sense of good and bad, and we’re largely exposed to a character who maintains – or tries to maintain, at least – the moral high ground.

No such nuances exist in Country. Sure, it offers the investigation by Sheriff Bell, but it doesn’t concentrate on his side of things over the other facets.

In fact, Sheriff Bell really plays a minor role through much of the film. We see much more of Chigurh and Moss than we do anyone else, probably because the Coens relish the bad guys more than they do the heroes.

Granted, Moss doesn’t fit the mold of a true villain, as he’s the besieged rodent in a cat and mouse chase with Chigurh’s relentless feline. However, Moss sure isn’t anyone we’d view as a positive model.

This makes Country a dark ride, probably the grimmest Best Picture winner since 1991’s Silence of the Lambs. That one went for uglier subject matter and contained more evil at its core.

For instance, no one here skins women and wears them as a suit. However, at least Lambs compensated with an actual heroic lead character who dominates the proceedings.

For it to work the same as Country, we’d have needed to spend most of our time with Lecter and Gumb while Clarice made only sporadic appearances that the filmmakers embraced in a half-hearted manner.

You can tell the Coens don’t care much about the Sheriff Bell side of things, at least during three-fourths of the film. They muster little interest in the white knight who tries to do the right thing.

The Coens would rather indulge in the psychopathic assassin who uses a bolt gun to slay his prey. After all, who’s more interesting: the vaguely John Wayne-style small town lawman or the amoral hitman with the moptop?

I must admit I’ve never considered myself to be a fan of the Coen Brothers. They can present a certain self-conscious side to their film-making, as their quirkiness feels precious and over the top to me.

Especially in their comedies, I get the feeling they impress themselves too much with their fabricated eccentricities. But maybe that’s just me, as the Coens certainly boast an extensive fan base.

I don’t claim they lack talent, of course, and I’ve liked some of their films. I thought highly of Miller’s Crossing - one of their “straighter” films – and I maintain reasonable affection for Fargo, although I believe it’s overrated.

It’s mainly the super-quirky comedic side of the Coens that irks me. To my relief, Country largely leaves that facet of their cinematic personalities out of the equation.

Oh, the flick throws out the occasional oddball moment played for dark laughs. Nonetheless, the emphasis stays on the dramatic side of things.

And that’s what keeps Country on the positive side of the ledger most of the time. Even when the Coens embrace the oddly comic – like when a mariachi band awakens a bloodied character – the gag stays small and underplayed. The film lacks the oppressively broad strokes of some Coen films, so it doesn’t come across as quirky for quirky’s sake.

Does any of this make Country a great film? That’s the bigger question, and one for which I think the answer is “no”.

I find Country to deliver an interesting movie. It becomes one that maintained my attention for its two hours despite some potential lulls.

As of 2007, Country may have been the least chatty Best Picture winner since 1927’s pre-talkie Wings. Dialogue scenes are few and far between in this effort, as “show” almost always trumps “tell”.

It’s the polar opposite of fellow 2007 Best Picture nominee Juno. That flick made its bones with its eccentric dialogue.

The lack of verbal material means that Country comes across as something unusual, but “unusual” and “great” aren’t the same thing. This is a good, reasonably involving flick but not anything that seems particularly memorable.

Actually, some of the elements that make it different can end up as flaws. While it certainly remains dark, that grimness ensures a one-note feel and it means an essential absence of character development.

Some of this changes during the third act, but I’m not sure it’s for the better. The tale takes a tone shift when Bell becomes more central to the plot.

Viewers seem sure to debate ad infinitum whether or not this turn actually works. Maybe it’s brilliant and deep, maybe it’s pointless and inconclusive, or maybe it’s neither.

The final act creates a distinct contrast with the rest of the film, and I still really don’t know how I feel about it. On one hand, I applaud the decision not to give Country a more traditional conclusion, as the movie goes in an unexpected path that allows it to stand out against its predecessors.

On the other hand, I can’t say that the ending feels satisfying. Perhaps that’s the point – to avoid spoilers, I don’t want to get too detailed here – but when the flick ends, you may be left somewhat befuddled.

Ultimately, No Country for Old Men is a good film, and one that certainly works better than the average Coen Brothers effort. I don’t think it deserves all the praise it received, though, as I can’t quite view it as a great piece of work. The movie has a lot going for it but falls short of excellence.

No Country for Old Men appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Expect a top-notch Dolby Vision image.

Overall sharpness worked well. The movie remained accurate and well-defined from start to finish.

No signs of shimmering or jaggies materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to mar the proceedings.

In terms of palette, Country went with an arid yellow tint much of the time, though a fair amount of teal appeared as well. This meant few – if any – more dynamic hues. I couldn’t fault the transfer, though, as the colors stemmed from the visual design and the disc replicated the tones well, with a bit of a boost from HDR.

Blacks felt dense, and shadows worked fine. HDR brought added impact from whites and contrast. I found nothing about which to complain here.

In addition, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Country proved satisfying. Though the soundfield lacked the consistent dazzle factor to enter into “A” territory, it used the give channels in a positive manner.

Most of the effective sequences came from those that involved fights with bullets or Chigurh’s bolt gun. During these, blasts and crashes popped up from all around the room.

General atmosphere seemed involving as well, with a natural, spacious feeling about them. The elements were placed accurately and fit together in a tight, convincing manner.

Audio quality was also strong. Speech sounded concise and distinctive, with clear lines and no related issues.

Effects seemed clean and dynamic. They were accurate and presented vivid imaging.

I can’t comment on the music, though, as outside of its closing credits, the movie featured no real score. That was fine with me, since the soundscape felt good for the film and it didn’t need music. I liked this powerful soundtrack.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Criterion Blu-ray? Both offered identical audio.

A native 4K production, the Dolby Vision UHD brought a moderate boost in terms of blacks, definition and colors. Though the BD looked very good - and offered a clear upgrade over the mediocre original BD - the UHD turned into the best rendition of the film.

The Criterion set mixes old and new extras, all of which reside on the included Blu-ray copy. The Making of No Country for Old Men runs 24 minutes, 29 seconds and provides comments from writers/directors Joel and Ethan Coen, UPM executive producer Robert Graf, production designer Jess Gonchor, property master Keith Walters, costume designer Mary Zophres, makeup artist Christien Tinsley, stunt coordinator Jery Hewitt, special effects coordinator Peter Chesney, and actors Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, and Javier Bardem.

“Making” looks at the source novel and its adaptation, shooting in Texas, cast, characters and performances, period elements and visual design, stunts and effects, and a few other thoughts. “Making” adds up to half promotion and half good facts.

Most of the latter appear in the piece’s second segment, as the first devotes itself mostly to a general description of the story and characters. This never turns into a fascinating piece, but it includes a mix of useful details.

Working with the Coens fills eight minutes, nine seconds with comments from Bardem, Brolin, Macdonald, Graf, Jones, Zophres, Hewitt, Chesney, Gonchor, Tinsley, Walters, and actor Tess Harper.

The show tells us what it’s like to interact with the Coens and their style as co-directors. Of course, much of this degenerates into basic praise for the Coens, but we get some good footage from the set and a few minor insights about the brothers.

Up next, Diary of a Country Sheriff goes for six minutes, 45 seconds. It involves the Coens, Graf, Jones, Bardem, Macdonald, Harper, and Brolin.

They chat a little about some characters and movie themes. We get some decent thoughts but not a whole lot of substance.

Previously only found on a 2009 Collector’s Edition DVD, An Incredibly Unauthorized Documentary goes for nine minutes, 19 seconds with footage from the set and comments. We find comments from Joel and Ethan Coen, Jones, Bardem, Graf, Brolin, Macdonald, production supervisor Karen Getchell, associate producer Dave Diliberto and actor Woody Harrelson.

Created by Brolin, essentially “Unauthorized” falls into the category of a joke project. It includes a smattering of facts, but mostly it exhibits a dry wit. This makes it moderately enjoyable but a little too clever for its own good.

In terms of new materials, we get the movie’s trailer and three video programs. Joel and Ethan Coen with Megan Abbott lasts 40 minutes, 27 seconds and pairs the filmmakers in a chat with author Abbott.

The Coens discuss what brought them to the flick, the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, sound design, photography, and general thoughts. Abbott moderates the conversation well and we get a nice overview of these topics from the filmmakers.

Roger Deakins and David Diliberto goes for 33 minutes, 45 seconds. Also conducted with Abbott, this audio-only piece features – duh! – Deakins and Diliberto.

During this program, we learn about cinematography as well as sets/locations, planning and storyboards, scene specifics, sound design, and related domains. This turns into another insightful reel.

Finally, Interviews with the Cast brings a 24-minute, 53-second compilation. We heat from Brolin, Bardem, Macdonald, and Jones.

Recorded in 2006 to promote the movie, they talk about working with the Coens and their co-stars, aspects of the shoot, their characters, and overall feelings about the movie. Though created as part of advertising, the comments prove useful.

The set concludes with a booklet that mixes photos, credits and essays from authors Francine Prose and Larry McMurtry. It wraps the package well.

Do I like No Country For Old Men? Yeah, most of the time. It suffers from ups and downs, but it succeeds as a whole. As for the 4K UHD, it comes with strong picture and audio as well as a reasonable selection of supplements. This turns into a fine release for a largely solid movie.

To rate this film visit the original review of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN