O Brother, Where Art Thou? (UK)

I`ve enjoyed previous Coen brothers movies, Fargo was certainly special, so I decided to buy this without watching it beforehand.

To be honest, I didn`t know what to make of it. It`s a very odd mixture of nostalgia, fugitives and music. The tone is supposedly whimsical, but there are many strongly themed moments, such as the KKK "hanging" and the gunning down of some cattle (which shouldn`t have been present in a "12" certification anyway). I`ve no objections to any of these ingredients, but because the Coen`s are quirky enough already, this bizzare concoction is a bridge too far.

There are several redeeming features of course, such as the few performances of their song and I liked the simple nature of Tim Nelson`s character. Clooney`s hair obsession is good fun too, but as mentioned earlier the light tone isn`t constantly applied.

I could have lived with the uneven feel and strange characterisations, but they`ve also tried to incorporate the "odyssey" myths into the plot (cyclops/sirens) and I don`t think this worked at all. The singing sirens were especially unwelcome and badly detach the viewer from the flow of the story. Up until that point I could accept the film on face value and thought it was going to be "different but good", after these scenes however I was decidedly restless. I know what they were trying to achieve, but it didn`t help O brother as a whole and there`s such a thing as subversive overkill. The most disappointing aspect of the whole production (for me anyway) is that the "3 men on the run" premise wasn`t exploited to the full.

The DVD is pretty good. Great A/V quality and interviews with all the main cast & crew. I couldn`t get the 5.1 mode to work from the menu and had to manually switch tracks once the film began. This is a possible fault of the disc, but is easily rectified anyway. Overall this is a well produced disc and the only serious moan is the lack of extras (except interviews/trailers).

I`m sure many will still enjoy "O brother" and dispute everything negative I`ve said, but if I was prepared for the film as it really is rather than the film I expected, maybe I`d be singing it`s praises too. I`m not mauling it or trying to put anybody off, but do approach with caution.

Ahhh, the Coen Brothers, you either love them or hate them, and I love them. This film may seem to be something of an excercise in style over content, but when a film is this finely crafted, who cares? That said, there is more than style to it; the script is excellent, with a few laugh out loud lines, and the performances are good, especially from Clooney. Then there is the soundtrack - what can I say? The perfectly chosen bluegrass and folk music draws you into the movie, complementing every scene. This film certainly isn`t to everybodys taste, but if you enjoy intellegent, inventive filmaking, or have enjoyed other Coen brothers films, then this is a must see.

The cinematograpy is stunning and the transfer on this disc is superb. The washed out and sepia tones are rendered beautifully. The DD 5.1 sound is excellent too, music sounds great, and the surrounds are used sparingly but are effective when they are. There are even a few explosions to keep your sub awake. Extras aren`t too special, but the animated menus are nice.

In fact, ignore all my previous cautionary comments, if your brain has been pummelled into submission by Hollywood drivel such as Armageddon and Charlies Angels, give yourself a break and at least rent this film, you might just like it.

Content:- Hilarious dialogue and hilarious escapades. The connections with Homer`s Oddysey were also pretty clever. I totally enjoyed this film and it fits nicely with all my other Coen bro`s discs. Nice.

Video:- Quite literally beautiful. One of the best in my collection I would say.

Audio:- Great songs and an overall pretty nice soundtrack. Could be more effect extensive I guess, but its fine as it is.

Features:- Hmm well not so good here. The menus are pretty funny but the content beneath them isnt quite so funny. The interviews are fairly annoying and the trailers are all the same basically. A bit dissapointing overall.

Overall:- Worth buying the disc for the film alone. The audio and video do it justice. This film rocks!