BLU-RAY REVIEW

Bad Country

Featured In Issue 187, June 2014

Picture4.5
Sound4.5
WSR Score3.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
43144
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Strong viiolence and laanguage and for sexuality and drug use
(Retail Price):
$30.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
104
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2014
(Theatrical Release):
No
(Direct-To-Video Release):
Yes
(Disc Release Date):
04/29/14
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Chris Brinker
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

In Bad Country, Baton Rouge police detective Bud Carter (Dafoe) busts contract killer Jesse Weiland (Dillon) and convinces Jesse to become an informant and rat out the South's most powerful crime ring. So when the syndicate orders Carter's death and Weiland's ID'd as a snitch, the two team up to take down the mob and the crime boss (Berenger) who ordered the hit. (Gary Reber)

Special features include seven deleted scenes (HD 07:53), the featurette Taking Down An Empire: On The Set (HD 11:53), and upfront previews.

The 1.78:1 1080p AVC picture was digitally photographed. The image quality is pristine, though. The color palette is generally warm with well-balanced hues that appear perfectly natural. Fleshtones are also naturally rendered. Contrast exhibits good black levels and revealing shadows. Resolution is good as well, with fine detail exhibited during close-ups. Overall, this is a pleasing and nicely imaged presentation. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced with natural spatially in dialogue integration, and the natural sound of gunfire, not artificially enhanced with bass emphasis. Atmospherics and sound effects tend to be frontal focused, with occasional directionalized surround envelopment. Deep bass occupies the soundfield during more intense segments but generally is reserved. The thunder storm is effectively natural sounding and powerful. The music score is generally well recorded and provides enhanced surround immersion. This is a pleasing and engaging soundtrack that sounds natural, which adds to the realism. (Gary Reber)