No Country For Old Men
Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem; Directed by Joel & Ethan Cohen
Imagine this: you're out hunting on a desolate plain somewhere in Texas, when suddenly you spot a very strange sight through your binoculars, - half a dozen vehicles congregated several dozen yards from any discernible roadway. As you get closer, you see that the ground is littered with dead bodies riddled with bullets holes. In one of the pickup trucks a man is struggling to survive, asking for water and bleeding profusely. In the back of his pickup truck, under a loosely-tied tarp, is a massive amount of cocaine. You track a line of blood out to a man who lies dead under the shade of the only tree around for miles. Next to him is a satchel containing about two million dollars. What do you do? If you're Llewlyn Moss, you take the cash, and then spend the next several terrifying days hiding from mexican drug runners, the local police force, and an insane psychopath who likes to kill people with air.
Yes. Air.
This is No Country For Old Men, the Cohen brothers' best achievement since bringing the world Fargo over ten years ago. This film actually mirrors their classic in a lot of ways; a bleak setting, a lovable but beleaguered cop, a dead-eyed homicidal maniac, a severely mislead everyman, and a host of idiosyncratic locals. The suspense of every scene strings your nerves along for the entire ride. The pacing is slow and deliberate at first, but starts to pop along like a machine gun slowly coming to life once the second act kicks into high gear.
This is unbelievably amazing if you just consider the fact that there isn't a note of music played throughout the entire film. The tension rides ENTIRELY on the shoulders of the magnificent cast assembled here. Javier Bardem, best known for his work in foreign films such as The Sea Inside, has already been hailed for his acting talent. But here under the banner of the Cohen brother's circus, Mr. Bardem steps out into the spotlight and backhands nearly every Hollywood villain in recent times with a performance so astounding you will find yourself breathing his name with all the awed wonder reserved for saints. It is such an original, unusual performance that it would be nearly impossible to try to describe what he does onscreen without using all of the clichés in the book. Suffice it to say, he's brilliant.
Josh Brolin does a good job of filling William H. Macy's shoes (by way of the misguided everyman, as per Fargo), by playing Llewlyn as a character who isn't stupid or necessarily bad, just very misguided in his actions once he decides to make "the wrong decision". Tommy Lee Jones is sarcastic and hilarious, channeling a less arrogant version of John Wayne who wins your support from his very first scene. The final notable performance comes from Kelly Macdonald, who has long been proving her worth across the Atlantic by way of films such as Trainspotting, Finding Neverland, and Nanny McPhee to name but a few. Playing Llewlyn's harried but ever-loyal wife, (and doing a better southern accent than native Georgian Julia Roberts ever mustered) she brings a vulnerability with a core as hard and bright as steel. Her final scene with Javier Bardem is electric.
When the final shot turned black, and the first credit line appeared onscreen, there was a general outcry of disbelief and shock amongst the audience. You never see the end coming. But you realize that once it has happened, your own perceptions of the film and what it means is turned completely upside down. Themes on fate, society, and the direction the human race seems to be headed are tossed into a jumble for you to figure out. It's a thinking movie, and it's about time we had a decent one. I have my own opinion on the "moral of the story", but I would give too much away if I revealed it here. So just trot into the nearest theatre yourself, buckle into your folding chair, clamp your hands onto the drink holders at the end of the arms, and oil up those gears and cogs in your brain. You'll be watching fireworks.
Grading:
Story = A-
Originality = A
DVD Features = N/A
Acting = A
Enjoyability = A-
Visuals = A
Overall = A
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