George Strait makes his film debut in an entertaining look into the heart and soul of country music from Young Guns director Christopher Cain. Superstar Dusty Chandler (Strait) is tired of the showbiz grind. One day, something snaps, and Dusty takes “a little walk,” ditching his beard and ponytail — and, temporarily, his career — to reclaim his down-home roots. But his manager (Lesley Ann Warren) retaliates: A stand-in (Kyle Chandler) lip-syncs his songs in concert. And a romance with a lovely rancher (Isabel Glasser) is on-again, off-again like a rodeo cowboy. The simple life can be so complex, but it’s nothing a revitalized country boy can’t handle!
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Video Quality
Pure Country was re-released on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Archive in 2019 after first being released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment exclusively as a part of a two-pack with its DTV sequel in 2012. The disc itself is the same 1080p master sourced from a 2K scan of the interpositive released in 2012. The transfer shows its age in some respects, but it largely holds up pretty well for the material. There is some nice natural film grain intact and resolved well. There is not much in the way of compression artifacts or other such digital anomalies outside of banding from the smoke machine. This disc capably showcases the rural settings and venue interiors. The clarity is not perfectly crisp, but there is plenty of detail to be found in the production design. Some natural colors saturate the picture well enough. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up decent highlights and serviceable black levels. Warner Archive has kept a fine disc in print.
Audio Quality
Warner Archive delivers a Blu-Ray with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that more than gets the job done. The focus of the narrative is music, so it is heartening to report that the fidelity remains in good shape with crisp notes and vocals. The same goes for any introduction of the score that guides the mood of the story. There are no age defects to the track such as pops, hissing or audio dropouts. Dialogue flows clearly within each exchange. Some active environmental effects give the experience a bit of grandeur, but the quieter moments on the farm come to life just as well. This is a good track that accomplishes what it needs to. Optional English (SDH), French, and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- I Cross My Heart Music Video (3:39)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:02)
Final Thoughts
Pure Country takes a very familiar story and introduces a major country star into the proceedings to mostly entertaining results. The disillusioned artist who has to rediscover the love of their craft is nothing new, but this Hallmark-level material is given a boost thanks to the direction of Christopher Cain and a talented ensemble with the likes of Lesley Ann Warren and Kyle Chandler. George Strait was never destined to be a serious actor, but he holds up well enough to give the story some weight. This film will mostly be for fans of Strait or those who appreciate easygoing adult dramas, but if you are indeed looking for that, it delivers. Warner Archive has brought back a Blu-Ray featuring a straightforward A/V presentation and a smattering of special features. Recommended
Pure Country can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive 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.
