Coen brothers return to their roots for 'No Country'
By Nick Knittel, Contributor
November 29, 2007 | 2:23 a.m.
Sparse, dark, and brooding, "No Country for Old Men" brings the Coen brothers back to the top with a searing thriller about a man, a killer and a suitcase full of money in a pitch-perfect adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel.
The man is Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin, “Grindhouse”), a sometime-welder in Texas who stumbles across a drug deal gone bad – bodies and bullet casings strewn across the ground next to perforated vehicles holding kilos of dope and further away, one plain-looking satchel containing a couple million dollars in cash. Moss grabs the cash and, realizing a few hours later the seriousness of the situation, takes off running.
It isn’t long before the theft is noticed, and soon Moss finds himself tracked by pissed-off Mexicans and the extraordinarily terrifying Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem, “The Sea Inside”), a sociopathic figure of death incarnate hired to retrieve the money. The two play cat-and-mouse through the desert while world-weary sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones, “In The Valley of Elah”) and his deputies follow the carnage to its conclusion.
“No Country” plays the role of a philosopher dressed as a bank robber, a movie that dishes bullets with careful and intelligent thought. In the opening credits, Sheriff Bell provides light narration as someone who sees evil in the world and knows that it’s only getting worse. Bell's belief that things can never go back to the way they once were is sprinkled throughout a story that’s built more as a morality play than an action film.
Anton Chigurh is, in essence, the core of the film. His character epitomizes the motifs found within the story. He is the coming storm, the dark evil that reaches into the future and erodes the foundation of the world, leaving men like Bell, who have a grip on the past without ground. Anton is also one of the scariest characters seen on screen in a long, long time, exuding a look and a confidence that calls to mind the Terminator more than anything else. Chigurh’s favorite method of dispatch involves an air tank and a power hose to the forehead that’s sure to make some sort of originality list for most obscure weapon, but really brings out the steely evil that inhabits him.
Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones are perfect in their respective roles, as well. Brolin gives Moss a sense of humor that translates better on screen than on page and makes the transformation from half-joker to desperado incredibly believable. Jones cements things as the sheriff whose comments on the bloody aftermath tie the film and its characters together
Joel and Ethan Coen share credit for both direction and writing, and the film itself has rarely looked better. The brothers Coen mimicked the sparse beauty of the west and the moral ambiguity of the story with the film's construction, opting for little (if any) music and editorial flash. The quiet becomes oppressive until the gunfire shatters it and, as a result, each shot and each death is felt more acutely. Because of this, the film is based around dialogue (or the lack thereof), and a quick ear is needed to make sense of events that happen off screen and the heavy plot in general.
Clearly, "No Country for Old Men" is not a film for everyone. For those seeking a quick blood fix without the heavy thinking, look elsewhere. Otherwise, many should find the mature writing and direction a beautifully strong addition to their night.
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Speakeasy rating: A
Running time: 122 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language
Genre: Drama