Written and Directed by: Ethan and Joel Coen
In the vastness of rural Texas a man named Llewelyn Moss is busying hunting when he accidentally stumbles on a group of drug runners killed in a deal gone bad. No one escaped because both drugs and all the money is still sitting still. In a moment of impulsiveness Llewelyn takes the two million dollars and before he can escape is chased away by Mexicans. His truck, along with his identity is left behind. Though the police pursuing would have been off-putting enough, a cold blooded killer, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) has picked up the trail and is coldly searching for his money. He is on a murder spree that ranges from logical reasoning to pure and simple convenience, killing anyone who gets in his way. Llewelyn tries to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, but Anton follows closer by the minute, with the aging law following even slower behind.
No Country For Old Men puts on a simple mask shrouding a frightening face. The drama begins slow and continues at it’s own natural pace, not succumbing to the force of the events happening in it, it simply develops on it’s own. The driving force of the story is the character’s and each of their motivators. The violence of the story is graphic but not overdone. And the basic nature and feeling of one world that doesn’t understand the other becomes the perfect picture of contrast.
Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem is a masterpiece of acting. Anton is perhaps one of the most dark and cold blooded killers ever portrayed. The calm calculated nature that he proceeds through the story with is bone chilling. Each time he appears onscreen it becomes a tense and frightening moment. He uses logic and simple reasoning like the flip of a coin to determine the future. The simplicity of his goals and his complete lack of humanity makes this psychopathic character completely unpredictable.
Tommy Lee Jones plays his role as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in his usual form of total commitment and excellent delivery. His performance is like a warm blanket on a chilly night. Sheriff Ed is the perfect contrast to Anton. An Old Man who is viewing the violent nature of this situation through the eyes of a veteran, but a veteran who’s seen nothing like it before. Between the two is Josh Brolin playing Llewelyn Moss, the man paying the greatest price for his attempt to take a shortcut to financial freedom. This was an excellent role for Josh Brolin, who was the tie between everything. His character, who was unaware of the coldness of the monster that chased him, was empowered by greed and the will to survive. When he realizes the money contains a tracking device and he coldly stares at the door waiting for someone to burst threw it, it is completely nerve wrecking. This is the best role I have ever seen Josh Brolin in.
The story is interesting and different from most films out there today, but it is the character’s and superb acting that makes everything tick. It’s overwhelming violent nature exudes purely to show the honest face of it’s most evil character, Anton. It leaves the end feeling incredibly mysterious, but finished nonetheless. This film won best picture for 2007 and I can see that it wasn’t just due to an incredible body of work, it was awarded to a movie that was very different from anything in the world right now. No Country For Old Men will not be for everyone and it isn’t a movie I will revisit anytime soon, but it was overflowing with brilliance ingenuity. Three Out Of Four Stars.
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