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| Release Date: | November 21, 2007 (US), January 18, 2008 (UK) |
| Runtime: | 122 min |
| Rated: | Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language. |
| Genres: | Crime, Drama, Thriller |
| Directed by: | Ethan Coen, Joel Coen |
| Written by: | Cormac McCarthy, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen |
| Starring: | Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald |
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 I’m not entirely familiar with the Coen Brothers and their films. I’ve seen Fargo (hasn’t everybody?) and really enjoyed it, but for some reason I haven’t been interested in checking out their other films. That is, until No Country for Old Men.
I first heard about the film when it was about to be released in the U.S. The plot was the first thing that interested me. It sounded like a good old “one man vs. one evil” (as I like to call them) type of film. Anytime big names are involved with a plot like this, you know that it’s either going to be something special, or something downright terrible. When I read on and found out that it was a Coen Brothers film, I became more interested. Even though I had not seen any other Coen Brothers films, I knew they had a knack for doing things differently, and different is what I like.
Of course, silly me ends up forgetting that the film was about to open and I missed it at the theatre. And so began the long wait for DVD. Was it worth it?
Yes.
No Country for Old Men is stunning. I mean that, too. So many Oscar nominated films (and really, films in general) are like those popular kids that you knew in high school that do nothing but look pretty and act smart. They’re devoid of any real personality, too, and in a year they’re forgotten. But this film isn’t like that. This film is like the person of your dreams: smart, beautiful, and with a fantastic personality. It’s not soon to be forgotten.
Acting-wise, this film is a perfect ten, with Javier Bardem as the real standout of the film. His performance as Anton Chigurh is up there with the best villain performances of all time, and for two hours he will make you believe in pure evil.
Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones also turn in fantastic performances as their respective characters. Brolin’s character is an everyday man caught up in a situation beyond his control, and he plays it very well. Jones plays his usual cowboy character, but he plays it well; so no complaints there.
In terms of direction, this film’s philosophy is “keep it simple”. The Coen Brothers aren’t here to show off how well they can move a camera. They’re here to tell us a story, and the camera movements are only part of that.
One thing I was surprised to see was how well the Coen Brothers created suspense without one key ingredient: music. Aside from a few choice scenes and the end credits, the film has no score, which is usually the driving force in terms of movie suspense. Not here, though. Instead, the Coen Brothers rely on camerawork and sound effects to ratchet up the suspense. It works beautifully, and really helps to separate the film from being just another chase film.
No Country for Old Men is a true knockout of a film that delivers and then some. Like Tommy Lee Jones says at the beginning of the film, “Okay, I’ll be a part of this world,” the question is, will you? |
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