No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men

Based on the novel of the same name, this movie is raw, but stylistically raw. The opening shots in the desert and the combination of Tommy Lee Jones’ narration simply works for the film. The Coen brothers have style and know how to brought out a lot in a script. But, this movie is both a good and frustrating movie.

The storytelling is so different and unconventional that some people will be angry over certain portions of the film, and a few shockers too. The story never shows you everything is happening. It only gives you enough for you figure out what happened. (Watching a scene with a person walking out of a house checking their shoes means a lot in this movie.) That’s part of the charm and it weakness of this film. Sometimes you want more.

The basic plot of the film is that a guy (Josh Brolin) comes across a drug deal gone bad. He finds that pretty much everyone is dead, except for one guy. He finds a suitcase full of cash ($2 million). He’s then on the run with the money with both the Mexican drug gang and a crazy hitman after him.

The best and unique performance is Javier Bardem’s role as Anton Chigurh, the hitman. Bardem brings so much to this strange character that you can’t cheer against this guy. His methods are violent but distinctive. The man uses a shotgun with a huge silencer on the end of it. He also uses a captive bolt pistol to kill people and to knockout locks on doors. Just having him talk to his victims before he murders them is chilling. He has got to be one of the best villains I’ve seen in a while.

The action in the film is amazingly bloody and raw. The editing of the firefights is very good. One scene worth noting is Brolin and Bardem running between streets trying to kill each other, and the entire sequence is great. The tension is felt through the sheer brilliance of the editing and directing. Almost no one speaks during this scene.

I was with the film all the way up to the last two minutes of the film. The ending isn’t my favorite thing about the movie. The movie simply ends on a speech, which is the same way the book ends. I just wanted more tied up with the Tommy Lee Jones story. (BTW, Jones’ character is really the star of the film.) In the end, don’t let the shaky ending keep you away from this enjoyable, yet bloody film.

Grade: A-

_______________________________________________________Nice shot