Review: ‘No Country For Old Men’

Nick:

Imagine a man that moves around towns like some kind of god, killing at random, ignoring your pleas, and operating on “principles,† as one character in the film describes, “Principles that transcend money or drugs or anything like that. He’s not like you. He’s not even like me.†

Now imagine that this man is coming after you†¦to kill you.

The Coen brothers have done a remarkable job turning Cormac McCarthy’s novel into a moving picture show, and though they wrote the screenplay themselves, there is little invention on their part. This is McCarthy’s work, the boys just happened upon a kindred spirit, someone whose work matches their own aesthetics: sharp dialogue, sudden graphic violence, and characters drawn with a knife.

A match made in Heaven.

The core story is a simple one. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds $2 million, and attempts to make it his own. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is the omniscient killer, looking to retrieve the money. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is the lawman trying to bring an end to the violence.

The film begins with a voice-over from Sheriff Bell, recalling his experience with a merciless killer on death row, and the incomprehensible nature of such a person. From there, we are introduced to Chigurh, and within minutes the film presents us with its first graphic murders. Moving on, we meet Llewelyn Moss. He’s hunting, and stumbles across a drug deal gone sour. He leaves the drugs, but takes the money. The plot really begins at that moment.

Once Moss decides to keep that money, he sets off a chain of events that will leave behind numerous dead bodies, and though you may have an idea of where the film is going, the only question left is how we will get to those final, violent moments.

A word concerning those final moments: Many people feel discordant about the conclusion to Llewelyn’s storyline, and the way it is presented in the film. The decision is not done arbitrarily on the part of the Coen brothers; it is handled as it is in the book. It is even forecast in an exchange of dialogue just moments before. Moss tells a woman that he’s, “Lookin’ for what’s comin’.† Her reply is, “Yeah but no one ever sees that.†

This movie is not just another shoot ‘em up, though most of the running time involves elements of the noir thriller, sprinkled with cat-and-mouse chase sequences that are as intense as anything you’re apt to see. Sensationalist elements aside, this is at its heart a powerful character study. It may not be clear the first time you see it, but this movie isn’t about Llewelyn Moss, it’s not even about the terrifying man with the pageboy haircut that kills people with a cattle gun. This is about Sheriff Bell coming to terms with the fact that this country of his is violent, incomprehensibly violent, and that it always has been. “You can’t stop what’s comin,† a friend remarks to him.

Like the best stories, this film asks a lot of questions about human nature, choice, and fate. It does not give out easy answers, but delivers the scenarios in a skilled, taut, and entertaining manner. This is by all accounts a perfect film, from the performances by the cast, to the minimalist score, and to the incredible cinematography by Roger Deakins.

A masterpiece.

(5 out of 5)

Zac:

The Coen Bros. return after a three year hiatus with a return to their crime/thriller roots that made them famous in the first place. An adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, it is one part reflection on our disintegrating society and one part cat and mouse chase thriller, with the cat and mouse part working beautifully.
Tommy Lee Jones’ Sheriff Bell opens the movie with a monologue about how his whole family has tried to make the world better by being sheriff’s and we continue to hear his thoughts on what he has done as we go along. Jones is superb here, as good as or better than In the Valley of Elah also released this year, providing the wisdom and the lighter side of the film, injecting some wry and dark humor into it all. He is investigating the incidents that the two main protagonists are involved in and slowly becomes more and more wrapped up into the bigger plot.
Now to get to that plot, Josh Brolin plays Llewelyn Moss a retired welder that stumbles upon a drug deal gone terribly wrong. Mexican bodies riddle the desert and with a bit of tracking Moss stumbles across two million dollars. Little does he know, that “the ultimate badass” Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is tracking the money as well, and will kill everyone in his way to get there. The game of cat and mouse begins, jumping from one hotel to another, and to tell you more would ruin the incredible mood and suspense that this film delivers. Every scene is just so good and leaves you anticipating, desperately, what is going to happen.
The film looks beautiful, shot by one of my favorite cinematographers Roger Deakins, and really sets the mood and tension of the film. There are also some great supporting roles as well by Woody Harrelson who is hired to try and stop Chigurh’s blood bath by the people who hired him, Kelly McDonald as Llewelyn’s wife, and Garret Dillahunt as Deputy Wendell.
Up until a certain point in this movie I was ready to consider it for the best of the year so far, but even though the events that happen are justified, I couldn’t help but be rubbed the wrong way. And the ending is going to make quite a few people unhappy, “the suck for ending it that way” was my Dad’s quote, but after further reflection the way it ends isn’t a cop out by any means and is just the end to this story we have watched for two hours. Just because the ending leaves you feeling one way that you might not jive with, doesn’t mean that it is a bad ending. I am also sure that after another viewing or two it will be a bit easier to swallow.
Anyways, this is a great, suspenseful movie and should be seen by anyone that enjoys the Coen Bros. work or is interested in a gritty crime drama. This ranks right up with the brother team’s best work.

(4.5 out of 5)

[rating: 4.5/5]

No Country for Old Men

Cast & Credits
Sheriff Bell: Tommy Lee Jones
Llewelyn Moss: Josh Brolin
Anton Chigurh: Javier Bardem
Carson Wells: Woody Harrelson
Carla Jean Moss: Kelly Macdonald

Written & Directed by Ethen Coen and Joel Coen
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy

Running time: 123 minutes
Rated R