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Review by David DiMichele

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I don't really know what No Country for Old Men possesses that keeps me thinking about it non-stop. Words can't sum up how I felt after seeing it. Was it the acting, the lonely scenery, the dark plot itself, the heinous killings, the obsessed characters, or the abnormal ending? Or maybe it's all of them. From the beginning to the end, No Country is like a machine that doesn't stop producing thrills, kills, and an uneasiness we feel throughout the entire movie. I was literally left speechless and that rarely, if ever, happens. When you leave the cinema, you realize that you just witnessed an act of extreme evil. The type of evil that means leaving the theatre shaking, having had your world rocked, not the type of evil that gets played out every week in numerous teenage horror films. The sort of evil found in this movie isn't common anymore in modern cinema, so to encounter it again is something of a luxury. But the funny thing is, we realize we want more of this evil to be shown to us. I never thought I would want such a thing but No Country paints evil with amazing strokes of beauty.

In No Country for Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen bring us their best work since 1996's Fargo. No Country has the look and eerie setting (thanks to cinematographer Roger Deakins) of Fargo, has the small town sheriff of Fargo, the speaking accents of Fargo, involves lots and lots of money like Fargo, and possesses maybe even more evil than Fargo. The Coen brothers have done their first ever book-to-movie adaptation from the 2005 Cormac McCarthy novel (the movie ending stays true to the book ending) but I sure hope it isn't going to be their last. It contains some memorable bits of dialogue: "How bad is this man?" "Compared to what, the Bubonic Plague?" and some unforgettable scenes: the huge shadow cast across a herd of antelope, a hotel chase scene, a deadly battle taking place in a street in the middle of the night, and the aftermath of a bloody car crash.

No Country opens with a narrator who sounds fed up with the world. As the narration goes on, the camera implants the setting, west Texas on the border of Mexico in the 1980s, in our brain. The narrator is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) and what he says is absolutely key to the movie. He reminiscences about the "good ole days" when his grandfather and father served as sheriff of the same town and how those old timers performed in that era. They didn't carry guns with them because things were calm and under control. It was a time when the most dangerous thing to do was hitchhike. Ed Tom Bell gets this sense of time changing when he sentences a young man to death for killing his teenage girlfriend. The man tells Bell that if he lets him go, he'll happily kill again. Bell also tells us that he's been sheriff of this town for more than 40 years and has seen the best of times, but knows the worst of times still lie ahead, as there are cold-blooded murderers replacing cowboys.

Consider the title of this movie and think about what it really says: There is no country for old men. Bell is old and he knows the times are changing - for the worse. The country isn't cut out for an old man who hates to carry a gun. So understandably, he's in shock when he sees a dreadful crime scene in the middle of nowhere, a drug deal that went terribly wrong. A fellow sheriff at the scene says "It's a mess, ain't it, sheriff?" to which he replies knowingly and coldly: "If it ain't, it'll do to the mess gets here." He's never seen a murder scene quite like this one and he wishes to never see it again because the impact is monumental. "He's seen the same things I've seen, and it's certainly made an impression on me."

The 'mess' is Anton Chigurgh (Javier Bardem is wickedly great). A huge man who looks like The Creeper from Scooby Doo, but the scariest thing is he retains such calmness. He just happens to be a merciless (blows your brains out with a stun gun) but at times a reasonable (victims call heads or tails to save their lives) psychopathic killer. His weapon of choice is unlike any weapon in cinema history: a cattle stun gun that's attached to a tank of compressed air. He doesn't let anyone or anything stand in his way as he hunts down the person who has his sack of two million dollars. This unlucky man is Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a Vietnam veteran living in a trailer park and trying to please his wife (Kelly Macdonald). He spots the dreadful murder scene and has balls enough to go down there and scope things out. Half a dozen men and one dog later he finds the sack of money which he thinks is going to bring him riches but instead it brings him hell: Chigurgh.

This sets up Llewellyn to have to hide in random motels from Chigurgh. It's an extreme case of cat and mouse that results in bloody death for several innocent bystanders. But this game eventually brings out the beast in Llewellyn and in the end it comes down to who wants the money more or who wants their life more?

But you would be misguided if you thought this movie was merely a bloody cat and mouse chase. Watch and see how Llewellyn slowly becomes just like the man who's hunting him. Then see how Llewellyn and Chigurgh both encounter young kids in different situations that result in the same outcome for both of them. Lastly, watch Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of a sheriff who's gone astray, lost in time itself. Bell is a part of a civilization and a generation that's gone with the wind, but still not forgotten.

Film Rating: **** out of ****

[Official Movie Site]

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Comments (7)

best of the year???

this movie might just be the best of the year...i don't know if any movie to come can match its impact that it leaves on you, even after a month has past after you've seen it!!!!

dimichele305 , December 17, 2007

Just watched this incredible movie last night!

I was pleasantly surprised to see the film review for this great film! I'm a big fan of the Coen Brothers, and while it took me a while to really appreciate the kind of details, and technical superiority of their films, what struck me about their work is its substance and the impact long after you've watch their films.

I agree with what you said here:

But you would be misguided if you thought this movie was merely a bloody cat and mouse chase. Watch and see how Llewellyn slowly becomes just like the man who's hunting him.

There's more to the violence and killings, there is this moral dilemma and discussion, without forcing the viewers to take side or to appear like preaching and/or forcing their beliefs. Its powerful and convincing, effective and emotionally satisfying, not to mention the fantastic abilities of the cast to give us some of this year's best performances.

Great review as always! I'm beginning to get used to the amazing fluidity of your sentences and how cool it is to read them here at tMF!

jedmed , December 17, 2007

thanks!!!!

yea, it sticks long after it's over..............thanks a bunch man glad to be on board this ship!!!!

dimichele305 , December 17, 2007

Best Film of 2007

This is without a doubt my favorite film I have seen this year. You are so right, it sticks with you LONG after you finished watching it. It could have the most perfect ending to a movie I have seen in a long time. Even if it took a day or two to appreciate it.

A "second opinion" review will be posted shortly...

Jeremy , December 17, 2007

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Great discussion guys about this movie, and like Jed has also mentioned, also great review once again David!

Jeremy, look forward to reading your own review version.

Jan , December 19, 2007

second review coming up!

yeah, I also look forward to Jeremy's review.

jedmed , December 19, 2007

Same here!

i'm curious to read what he has to say!!! so many point of views on this movie...i love it!

dimichele305 , December 19, 2007

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