Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The Dude (Jeff Bridges) gets involved in a case of mistaken identity when some thugs show up at his place to collect a debt owed by another man who shares his last name—Lebowski. To add insult to injury, the goons pee on his favorite rug and he seeks out compensation from the other Lebowski, a well-healed wheelchair-bound millionaire who's willing to help The Due as long as he does one little favor.

The Coen Brother's have a unique perspective on the world and they definitely don't "go with the flow." While I don't consider this to be one of their best films, it does contain their most interesting character—The Dude. At the time of its release in 1998, it wasn't as critically acclaimed as Fargo or O Brother, Where Art Thou? but over the years it has obtained cult-like status with its fans and Bridge's portrayal of the iconic character set his career on an upward path.

The VC-1 encode is solid and looks to be a rehash of the previously released HD DVD. Fine detail in objects and clothing are well-defined and the color palette is rich and bold. Black levels are a tad inconsistent and occasionally crush shadow detail.

The dialog-intensive DTS-HD-MA 5.1 track doesn't disappoint and is filled with a plethora of directional queues, especially in the bowling alley scenes. Bass response is virtually non-existent, but this is due to the sound design and not the audio encode.

Supplements include an introduction from the Coen Brother's, three U-Control featurettes, a few behind-the-scenes documentaries, an interactive map, and a digital copy of the film.

While it's not my favorite Coen Brother's film, it has certainly grown on me over the years and it's still enjoyable with multiple viewings. Bridge's performance is outstanding and the supplements are informative and entertaining. Recommended for fans.

Ratings

Picture:4/5
3D-Ness: N/A
Sound: 4.0
Extras: 4.0
Interactivity: 2.5

Disc Specs

Studio: Universal (2011)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Length: 119 Min
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Joel Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi