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No Country for Old Men is as exceptional a mix of two creative talents- the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan Coen, and author Cormac McCarthy (recent winner of the Pulitzer for The Road, his own masterpiece) as one could imagine, as they converge on a story that in lessor hands would be just a B movie. The story concerns an average Joe out hunting one day in Texas who comes across a bunch of dead bodies, heroin, and a satchel with 2 million in cash. He takes it, but without knowing that a true embodiment of a psychopath (Javier Bardem) is on his trail, and as he evades him it becomes more and more clear the fatalism that lies in store, as a weathered sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) is also on the trail with perpetulally sad eyes looking on from his stolid demeanor. More than this, it's also about as good a morality play as one could ask for, because it plays and tools and makes very serious questions about what is moral, or what isn't, or what is so ambiguous that it's all up to the toss of a coin or a chance ride out of town. There are a few interpretations to Bardem's character Anton that could be taken, but one thing is certain- he's less a symbol than a real presence, a "ghost" as Jones's sheriff calls him that can come around at the drop of a pin, usually in the dark, and strike the utmost fear (or confusion if you're a clerk) in the hearts of men and women. You'll never look at a coin toss the same way again. Or an air-gun. Or fixing a bullet wound in a leg. Or a hunt at a motel. Or even the aftermath of a car crash. But at the same time it's the purest time of cinema, recalling Hitchcock and Leone and Welles's Touch of Evil and the best of noir and westerns. There are so many exceptional shots and lighting, so much depth to the perception of the characters through the mis-en-scene, so much tension, that through this it's all up to the actors to make or break the near-perfection that is the McCarthy source. Bardem embodies Anton like no other could- you can't look at his eyes, often steel-cold and horrifically professional (to what professional who can say), which occasional tear- and it's obviously worthy of an Oscar. And Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones are also fantastic; we see Brolin often in the midst of an action scene, a moment of 'save-your-life' going on, and one can finally see an actor of his caliber completely breaking out in a role that doesn't require him to ever totally "emote". Jones, on the other hand, gives a compassionate turn in a film that's about the struggles of desperate men in a land without law and order. He's gone through so much that it comes out completely in his voice and eyes, sorrowful but holding back, and he reaches a level of connection with the character that makes the Fugitive look like simpleton TV. Kelly McDonald, who plays Lleland's wife, is also excellent when called upon, especially in a crucial scene later in the film. It's gut-wrenching, bleak, violent, super-tense (I clenched many a knuckle during some scenes), surprisingly funny in a darkly comic manner not seen by the Coens in many years, and artistically fashioned to a beat that is meditative (watch the opening moments with Jones's voice-over), simple, and doomed. It's beautiful and terribly tragic, for McCarthy fans it finally strikes at what is truest to his material- even if you haven't read the book itself the Road will give an indication of the mood and atmosphere at hand- and at the moment I can't think of any other film that would bVollständige Rezension lesen
This is one of those movies that grabs your attention,takes you on a roller coaster ride-then just ends,and leaves you frustrated.Sort of like the finale of "The Sopranos".Tommy Lee Jones' sheriff is just a supporting character here.The film belongs to Josh Brolin,in a breakout role,as an average guy who stumbles across a suitcase full of cash at the scene of a drug deal gone bad out in the desert.He takes the cash and is pursued relentlessly by a creepy psychopath(Javier Bardem),looking to recover the money and kill Brolin's character.Lots of killing ensues,and finally at the end Brolin is killed.The killer wanders off after a car wreck,and we don't see him again.We also never see where the money ends up.Great performances,lots of action-but a truly unsatisfying ending.Vollständige Rezension lesen
As for the plot, one guy was fortunate enough to find a pack full of money in the middle of a battlefield and take it, but unfortunate enough to realize later that he was messing with the wrong people. This was a good starter and, until the middle of the movie, things were going pretty interesting and I felt very attached to the history. Blood and shooting everywhere and everytime driven by the Chigurh-Moss chase. A real and enjoyable countryside thriller. Then, the conclusion: Moss was killed, Chigurh got hit by a car bump and just walks away (apparently not being busted) and the sheriff, once eager for catching the murderer, ended up sitting, reflecting about life and the past. If there's a subtle message in the end of the movie, I don't really know, but I have to confess that this finale has not made much of a sense to me. Although I found the end confusing, this movie is good in the general sense and rescues the idea that low or middle budget movies can be as interesting and entertaining as pricey ones. I also liked the production: more images and action than dialogue, a lot of suspense and not much music running in the background. Suspense scenes are better when there is no or just a little sound with it.Vollständige Rezension lesen
Again the Coen brothers dazzle and confuse with their latest movie "No Country for Old Men", which is right up there with Rambo when it comes to killing people, good or bad, en masse. I will not go into plot and story because there are enough others who do, but I will say, that there are some very good acting in there, especially, by Tommy Lee Jones. It is very well produced, very well directed, well scored, and has a dark quality that permeates almost every scene throughout the film. I don't know if it really original, but there is definitely something there. It seems to be one of those films that, momentarily at least, leaves an impression on you. An impression that varies from person to person. It makes you think. The ending is not typical, it makes you think. Unfortunately the Coen Bros left out the clues that were in the book. If intentional or not. It is quite graphic in its portrayal of violence, which I personally do not mind, but some people absolutely hate. It is definitely not a kids film, but no one ever said it should. My rating is 7 of 10 StarsVollständige Rezension lesen
This is a typical Coen Brothers movie with quirky, dark humor, odd disjointed dialogue and seemingly unconnected scenes. The basic plot is straightforward. Good guy cowboy, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes upon a drug deal gone bad. All participants are dead so Moss helps himself to several million dollars in drug money. When he stupidly returns to the scene to give water to the only surviving drug dealer he is identified by the drug lords and targeted by their psychopathic hit man, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) runs a bit of a parallel course to Brolin, seeming to know all about the drug lords and Chigurh, but never quite catching up with Moss. The rest is a cat and mouse between Moss and Chigurh as Moss desperately tries to keep the money, returning to his wife, Carla Jean (Kelly MacDonald) and start a new life. Woody Harrelson plays a neat bit part as a hitman hunter. But it is ultimately Bardem who totally steals this one as the coin-flipping, monotone hitman with an odd code of honor. The problem with Coen brothers films is that they ask the viewer to be satisfied with an equally disjointed ending. Major characters and events are left unresolved or at least to the viewer's imagination. Without ruining the plot, what happens to Carla Jean? Does Bardem recover the money? Can you explain the scene in which Ed Tom seems about to encounter Chigurh?Vollständige Rezension lesen
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