No Country for Old Men - A Bleak, Violent Masterpiece by the Coen Brothers
Written: Feb 19 '08 (Updated Sep 19 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Wonderful performances in a gripping story.
Cons: Will be too violent for some. Ending will bother some people.
The Bottom Line: No Country for Old Men was a very well done movie full of wonderful performances. It isn't for everyone, but it is worth seeing at least once.
dragonfire88's Full Review: No Country for Old Men
Every year there are a few movies that receive all kinds of critical acclaim and Oscar buzz. Sometimes I feel that is justified and other times I don’t. I try to see movies nominated for Oscars before the awards are given out, but some years I don't see some of the movies until much later. No Country for Old Men has been receiving all kinds of acclaim and Oscar buzz for months. The movie only recently turned up at the theater here in town, so I wasn't sure I would be able to see it.
Llewelyn Moss came across a drug deal gone bad one morning when he had been out hunting. While investigating the area, he discovered a truck full of drugs and a case full of money. Llewelyn left the drugs and took the money, seeing it as a way to a better life for himself and his wife Carla Jean. Little did he know that Anton Chigurh, a vicious hired killer, was on his trail, determined to retrieve the money no matter what.
Ed Tom Bell was the sheriff who found himself in the middle of the mess. He wasn’t sure what to make of much of what was going on and he was struggling to find a way to keep Llewelyn alive. Carson Wells was a bounty hunter who was also hired to track down the money. Carson had actually met Anton previously.
No Country for Old Men was based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. I’ve never read the book, so I don’t know what would have been changed for the movie. I’m guessing that at least a little bit was changed since that tends to happen when books are turned into movies. Joel and Ethan Coen wrote the screenplay in addition to directing the movie.
I thought that the plot of No Country for Old Men was fairly straightforward. Llewelyn discovered a case full of money when he found the sight of a drug deal that went wrong. He decided to keep the money and ended up on the run from Anton, a man hired to retrieve the money. Deciding to take the money wasn’t one of Llewelyn’s smartest decisions, but it was understandable why he did. Unfortunately, he then did something incredibly stupid - even more stupid than taking the money to begin with - that made it simple for Anton to find out who he was. The rest of the movie dealt with Llewelyn trying to get away with the money and outsmart Anton. I still thought that the movie was entertaining and interesting even though the plot really wasn’t complex. The slower pace and the fact that the movie was more focused on the character didn’t make me feel that the movie was boring. Some people may disagree with my feelings about that.
No Country for Old Men was a very violent movie. The first violent act was committed by Anton fairly early in the movie and while there was blood in that scene, it wasn’t as graphic as some of later scenes. What was really disturbing about that scene was the look on Anton’s face and how he seemed to be really enjoying what he was doing. That scene really established the type of man that Anton was. The drug deal wasn’t shown when it happened, but it was very clear that things had gone wrong since Llewelyn found all the bodies. Throughout the movie, several people were killed, mostly by Anton. He did use a very unique weapon, sometimes against people and other times the weapon was used to get through locked doors. There was a lot of blood shown throughout the movie which, along with the graphic violence, will no doubt bother some viewers. Personally, I could have done without seeing Anton play doctor when he was taking care of a wound. I’m guessing that particular part of the movie will probably bother some other viewers as well. Anyone that doesn’t like violence in movies should avoid this one.
I didn’t think there was much mystery in the movie, which didn’t bother me since I thought the plot was interesting and there were some suspenseful moments. There were really only a few minor things that wondered about. I was on the edge of my seat a few times because the suspense and tension was built up so well in those scenes. Some viewers will probably be disappointed because there were some predictable moments in the movie as well. The overall mood of the movie was dark, though there were a few funny moments, usually provided by something that Ed Tom said, that did help to lighten the mood a small bit temporarily.
After seeing the trailers and deciding that I did want to see No Country for Old Men, I decided not to read many reviews before seeing the movie so I wouldn’t come across something that would ruin the movie for me. Even without reading much about the movie, I had still heard that some people have had issue with the ending. I’m not sure what I was expecting from the ending, but it wasn’t the ending that the movie had. Right after seeing the movie, I wasn’t exactly happy with the ending myself. I actually heard most of the people in the theater complaining about how horrible the ending was. Someone even claimed that it made watching the movie a waste of time. I never thought the ending was that horrible. I was just feeling like the movie just ended without resolving things. Now that I have thought about the movie and the ending some, I’m not as disappointed with it. I still don’t love the ending, but I’m not as unhappy with it as I was at first. It may seem like a few things weren’t resolved, but I think enough was shown to indicate how those things worked out. There was closure and resolution, but it was much more subtle than what most movies have. People who like to have everything spelled out so they don’t have to think about things probably will be very disappointed with the way the movie ended. I honestly don’t know what could have made a better ending.
No Country for Old Men was set in West Texas in 1980. Many scenes were set in deserted locations which helped add to the overall mood of the movie. Much of the scenery was desolate but also beautiful. The year wasn’t specifically given at the beginning of the movie. A few things said throughout the movie helped me to figure out the year and there was confirmation later in the movie when the year was actually shown. The clothing and hairstyles the characters had did seem to fit for the time period. Most of the cars looked right for the year as well, though I spotted one or two that I think came out at least a few years after 1980. After watching the movie, I found a list of some other things that were used in the movie years before they were actually available, including one of the guns. Those few inconsistencies didn’t bother me or keep me from enjoying the movie overall.
Very little music was used throughout No Country for Old Men, which worked perfectly for the movie. The little bit of music that was used blended in very well and wasn’t overpowering like has happened in some other movies. More music would have seemed out of place and would have distracted from what was happening on screen. During many scenes, there was silence broken up only by small sounds like someone breathing or quiet footsteps. That really added to the atmosphere and added a lot of tension to certain scenes.
Llewelyn was basically a good guy even though he made some very bad and questionable choices. He did have his own sense of right and wrong, which did lead him to what was probably the dumbest thing he ever did. He was just trying to make life better for himself and his wife, but his actions indirectly caused several deaths. He was likable for the most part even though he did some bad things. Josh Brolin gave an amazing performance that was very different from the part he had in American Gangster. Llewelyn’s wife Carla Jean was only around in a few short scenes. Kelly Macdonald handled the part well. She had a small part in Nanny McPhee, a very different sort of movie.
Ed Tom Bell was the sheriff who was trying to deal with everything that was going on. Ed Tom had been a sheriff for many years and seen a lot of things, but he was still shocked by what he saw in regards to the failed drug bust and the trail of bodies after it. He was really affected by the events and seemed to be struggling with how to deal with it. I really liked Tommy Lee Jones in the part. He was just perfect as Ed Tom and completely believable in the part. Ed Tom’s wife Loretta was only shown a couple of times, so Tess Harper really didn’t have that much to do. Ed Tom had a good working relationship with his deputy Wendell. The two men shared some of the best exchanges in the movie.
Anton Chigurh was hired to find the missing money from the drug deal. Once he took a job, he was very focused and determined to finish it, not letting anything stand in his way. He had no problem killing people, even innocent people, to achieve his objectives. The man was a psychotic killer who really seemed to enjoy his work. Given everything he did do, I really don’t think there was anything that he wouldn’t do to reach his goal. Anton had a really bad hairstyle that worked for the character and just made him seem even more sinister. Javier Bardem was absolutely amazing as Anton, giving a gripping, chilling performance as what has to be one of the best movie villains ever created. I can see why he has been winning so many awards for this performance. Woody Harrelson turned up in a few short scenes as Carson Wells, the other man sent to find the money. Barry Corbin and Steven Root also had small parts in the movie.
Main Cast
Javier Bardem - Anton Chigurh Josh Brolin - Llewelyn Moss Barry Corbin - Ellis Garret Dillahunt - Wendell Tess Harper - Loretta Bell Woody Harrelson - Carson Wells Tommy Lee Jones - Ed Tom Bell Kelly Macdonald - Carla Jean Moss Stephen Root - Man Who Hired Wells
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
No Country for Old Men was a very well done movie even though it isn’t a fun or happy movie by any stretch of the imagination. The movie told a bleak, violent story that was beautiful in its own way. Javier Bardem gave what was probably the performance of the year. The movie also featured amazing performances from Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones. I do think this is one of the best movies of the year even though it isn’t my favorite movie from 2007.
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