The Sunset Limited Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
The Sunset Limited is a searing, two character drama that mixes humor and pathos while examining the relationship between two strangers who are brought together by desperate circumstances. The story focuses on two very different men – a deeply religious black ex-con (Samuel L. Jackson) who thwarts the suicide attempt of an asocial white college professor (Tommy Lee Jones), who tried to throw himself in front of an oncoming subway train, the Sunset Limited. As the one attempts to connect on a rational, spiritual and emotional level, the other remains steadfast in his hard-earned despair. As their philosophical debate progresses, each spar passionately to defend their personal credo and convert the other.
The Sunset Limited isn't a message movie, a la Courageous. Fundamentalists on both sides of the Faith and Reason divide will hurl stones when the film doesn't embrace their competing philosophies and balk when it refuses to choose a side. It doesn't lean to the Right or Left, doesn't embrace Red or Blue, and doesn't rail against Belief or Unbelief. It doesn't amount to an atheist's battle cry, an agnostic's anthem, or a religious man's sermon. Quite the contrary. The Sunset Limited is a fascinating snapshot of an age-old debate of desperation and determination; a debate which, at its core, is driven by a common desire to lead the Lost into the Light, whether that Light be the truth of the natural world or the truth of the unseen; one man leading another to salvation, be it salvation from ignorance or damnation. The genius of writer Cormac McCarthy's original 2006 stageplay and director Tommy Lee Jones' screen adaptation is that neither one attempts to settle an argument or, worse, a score. Instead, McCarthy examines the debate and explores the players without prejudice, slowly but steadily closing in on what makes the zealous believers and passionate nonbelievers among us tick... at least those of us who are well-acquainted with having conversations about life, existence and the Great Unknown that stretch into the wee hours of the morning.
Don't expect answers. Few are offered and even fewer are given refuge...
The story couldn't be simpler. Black (Samuel L. Jackson), a humble religious man, saves White (Tommy Lee Jones), a suicidal professor, from an oncoming train. Black takes White to his inner city apartment, intent on understanding why the professor is so anxious to end his life. What follows is an intense, soulful tête-à-tête in which the two men lay out their very different beliefs; Black, convinced that White's hopelessness can be healed through faith, and White, convinced that Black's faith can be shaken through reason. The conversation doesn't unfold predictably, and yet it does. Those familiar with the inner workings of The Great Debate will feel right at home, even when The Sunset Limited is at its most surprising; those who've delivered a similar argument to Black or White will marvel at McCarthy's ability to cut to the heart of each belief system, maintain a delicate balance, and allow the intellectual battle to sway back and forth so intuitively. Black and White are both extreme examples of their separate flocks, of course. Not every unshakable atheist is a hopeless pessimist and not every fervent believer is a reformed convict who believes he's heard the voice of God. But in choosing such stark opposites, McCarthy's portrait of the debate itself crystallizes. Black is no more a belligerent egomaniac than White is a militant elitist. Their relationship is combative, but only insofar as good friends challenge one another when they see their brother struggling. Their debate brings them closer, reveals their true merits and motivations, tests their mettle and character, and demands that we pore over the unanswerable questions of our own Purpose and Presence.
To that end, the story couldn't be more complex. Black may dominate the conversation early and often, and White may take a beating for a time, but White's hesitance shouldn't be confused for bewilderment. Restraint, maybe; compassion, more likely. White is as set in his faith as Black, even if that faith is in reason and despair. For all the stereotypes that exist of the heartless atheist, White is a good, well-intentioned man who doesn't wish Black any ill will. He wants to leave the apartment, to finally end his suffering, but not at the expense of being ungrateful or unkind. White may want to die, but he doesn't want to leave Black feeling as if he could have done anything more to save him. Likewise, White may eventually unleash his full fury, and Black may reel from the assault, but Black's pain shouldn't be confused for doubt. Frustration, maybe; grief, more likely. Black isn't interested in converting White but rather in saving White from the Sunset Limited, both literal and figurative. For all the stereotypes that exist of the Bible-thumping Christian, Black is a good, well-intentioned man genuinely grieved by the thought of anyone spending an eternity separated from his Creator. He wants to prevent White from leaving his apartment, to somehow alleviate White's suffering, but only because he's convinced that God has tasked him with helping save a stranger from his deep-seated anguish. And the conclusion to their conversation is as devastating as the beginning. Both men are forced to face doubt, both men fight to survive the philosophical storm, and both men are left battered yet bound to the same beliefs they held at the outset. It's infuriating, truth be told, but so is the end to most conversations of this nature for all parties involved. There is no Hallelujah chorus for White, no descent into darkness for Black, and no easy ending for those watching with baited breath.
As a director, Jones is minimalistic and practical; qualities that serve The Sunset Limited beautifully. When the film stumbles, it's either because Jones plays his hand too heavily -- one shot finds White lying on a couch while Black sits behind him in a chair, as if Black were White's therapist -- or because Jackson occasionally sharpens himself up for a bit of the old ultra-acting. Jones tends to counter Jackson's flair for the dramatic by having White call Black on his theatrics, so that helps, but the blocking and performances aren't without their distractions. Even so, Jones and Jackson are at the top of their games, granting White and Black a humanity that surpasses their "White" and "Black" ambiguity. Without much in the way of backstories for their characters, the two seasoned actors rely on reaction and agitation to tell a number of untold tales. By the time White and Black's conversation draws to a close, there's an overwhelming sense of who these men are, what has brought them to this stage in their lives, and the disparate worlds in which they dwell. Black's heartbreak is gut-wrenching; White's despair is agonizing. Black's distress is unsettling; White's resolve is tragic. Black's selflessness is seemingly for naught; White's selfishness equally so. Through it all, Jones and Jackson are magnificent and magnetic, creating larger-than-life symbols and down-to-earth souls in one simultaneous stroke. And, like its leading men, The Sunset Limited isn't straightforward or benign. It commands attention and requires a response, even if that response is as impossible to define as the debate that fuels the film.
Black and White may not come away from their conversation with greater clarity, but HBO's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation certainly does. Every wiry hair, stubble stump, world-weary wrinkle, blue collar stitch, furrowed brow line, and leatherbound Bible crease is on display for all to say, as The Sunset Limited features one of the sharpest, most perfectly resolved images I've seen in some time. Grain is intact, edges are crisp and clean, fine textures are given free run of the place, and closeups are stunning. Delineation is excellent too, as is contrast and color saturation. Skintones rarely falter, black levels are strong, and every last color and primary looks exactly as it should. In fact, the only issue I took with the presentation was a few thankfully brief instances of almost imperceptible artifacting. Granted, I only noticed the blockiness in the background of three shots, but it was enough to catch my eye and send my pen scribbling. Fortunately, I didn't encounter any other significant anomalies; no serious macroblocking, banding, smearing, crush or, much to my surprise in a presentation this sharp, ringing or aliasing. All in all, watching The Sunset Limited is easier than mulling over the questions McCarthy poses. Much, much easier.
Two men talking in a small apartment. There isn't really that much to say about HBO's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, other than the mix creates a convincing, fully immersible soundfield and presents Black and White's at-times heated conversation sans any issues. Dialogue is clear, intelligible and gruffly grounded in Black's less-than-roomy apartment, and what limited sounds effects there are retain their integrity and believability. LFE output is restrained but resonant, rear speaker activity is subdued but reliable (particularly when noise from neighboring apartments plays a role in the soundscape), directionality is subtle but persuasive, and dynamics are delicate but more than suitable for the task at hand. Still, at the end of the day, The Sunset Limited is two men talking in a small apartment. No fireworks, no explosions, no sonic booms. It does what it does extremely well, though, and that should be good enough for anyone.
Only two extras are included, and both are disappointments. I was really looking forward to the disc's commentary (with Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson and Cormac McCarthy), but it amounts to little. Jones tends to drone on about performance and staging, Jackson tends to sit back and agree with everything Jones says, and McCarthy is relatively quiet when he isn't being asked a direct question. Long stretches of silence also prove bothersome, and the trio simply stand by and gawk as key scenes roll past. "The Making of the Sunset Limited" (HD, 5 minutes) is an even bigger letdown, and not just because of its all-too-short runtime. I didn't garner anything from it that hadn't already been covered in the commentary, and some brief behind-the-scenes footage was its only saving grace. I guess I just expected too much from Sunset's supplemental package.
Don't ask easy questions, don't expect easy answers. The Sunset Limited doesn't deny God or demonize Him. It's a portrait of competing faiths -- faith in a Higher Power and faith in Almighty Reason -- and the debate that ensues when the two sit down and have it out. Jones and Jackson are terrific, Cormac McCarthy's dialogue is as powerful as you've come to expect from the prolific author, and the film is a fascinating look at an eternal conversation we're all familiar with. HBO's Blu-ray release is impressive as well, so long as you're willing to forgive its supplemental sins. With a striking video transfer and enveloping DTS-HD Master Audio track, there's little to distract viewers from White and Black's debate. It may not be a five-star release, but it comes highly recommended.
Next year, HBO Home Entertainment will bring The Sunset Limited to Blu-ray. Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive) directs this adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy's play and also stars as a college professor whose suicide ...
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