Starring Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen), Stephen Dorff (True Detective), Trace Adkins (The Outsider) and Gavin Lewis (Little Fires Everywhere), Old Henry tells the story about a widowed farmer and his son who warily take in a mysterious, injured man with a satchel full of cash. When a posse of men claiming to be the law come for the money, the farmer must decide whom to trust. Defending a siege of his homestead, the farmer reveals a surprising talent for gunslinging that brings his true identity into question.
For in-depth thoughts on Old Henry, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Old Henry comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is truly stunning. This is a beautifully shot film with many expansive shots of open plains where you can see an incredible amount of detail. There are numerous sequences featuring vegetation and trees in the background that provide a nice reference to showcase the depth at play in the image. The film plays very well with the earth tones on display from the greens of the foliage to the stark browns of the plains where most of the film takes place. This is a film with a cool color palette that is reproduced perfectly here with a pleasing radiance. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with the intensely deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no obvious signs of any noise or other such digital nuisances. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation is definitely top-tier work.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that conjures a very specific mood that transports you to this era in time. This is mostly a subdued film, but there are moments that give the track more of an intense workout such as gunfire. The score is showcased beautifully here with a gently enveloping use of the surround speakers. The dialogue comes through crystal clear without ever being overpowered by the environmental effects or the score. The sound design is just as precisely thought-out as the on screen visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really nice soundscape of weather and animal sounds. This is more so a contemplative piece so the activity in the low end is reserved for a few key moments. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life in a really splendid way.
Special Features
- A Look At Old Henry: An eight-minute featurette in which the cast and crew reflect upon the western genre, training to get into character, the strength of director Potsy Ponciroli, what Tim Blake Nelson brings to the role, the talented ensemble and more that provides nice insight into the film.
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Old Henry is an immensely satisfying western that goes out of its way to elevate and transcend the genre. The script itself is a solid piece of work, but the outstanding performances make the character dynamics really sizzle on screen. Tim Blake Nelson is one of the most underrated performers working today, and he makes the most of this leading role. Director Potsy Ponciroli makes a strong argument in his gorgeous filmmaking for why he needs to be on your radar with future projects. Shout! Factory has given this film a Blu-Ray with a terrific A/V presentation and a decent supplemental feature. Even if you are not typically a fan of the western genre, this one is worth seeking out. Recommended
Old Henry is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Shout! Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
