No Country For Old Men Review

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    A man goes out hunting for antelopes, notices a mysterious trail of blood that leads to a string of bodies in the middle of nowhere, and amidst the grisly aftermath of a bad deal, he takes a bag of money and tries to move on. Some might say that this is a man who is already intertwined with the original deal, but the Coen Brothers go far beyond obvious and show the true meaning of desperation in the common man, as well as the determination of the good and the bad in ‘No Country For Old Men.’

     When common low profiler Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) accidentally stumbles on a circle of dead bodies after an illegal exchange gone wrong, he then follows a trail of blood which leads him to a case filled with money, and slips away undetected… or does he? With an escaped psychopath (Javier Bardem) on his trail, and a local sheriff on the verge of retirement (Tommy Lee Jones) trying to protect him, Moss’ fabled journey to a life of enrichment is about to become a trail of blood, sweat, and tears that will change the lives of three men forever.

     The Western atmosphere of cinema has been known in recent years to be a more independent circuit for filmmakers, but the genre that Clint Eastwood and John Wayne defined has really catapulted itself back into the mainstream this year; starting with ‘3:10 to Yuma,’ and now this new masterpiece from the acclaimed Coen Brothers. The fame of these two brother/partner directors really took off in 2000 with ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?,’ and has since then only grown to newer levels, placing the Coen name into definite Oscar contention every time they co-formulate a project.

     The Coen Brothers knew from the get-go that adapting the novel of Pulitzer Prize winning author Cormac McCarthy would be their toughest chore to complete, but their dedication to this project really shines as they give this stunning thriller several reasons to exist, and almost no reason to be missed.

     In films with common storylines and plot points that are heard of, it is very important for filmmakers to accentuate characterization, and in cases such as this, the cinematography of the western layout. The film’s opening sequence really puts the viewer in the mindset for dark drama and complexity as the Coens provide multiple shots of West Texas before sunrise, and a brief dialogue of local law enforcement history from Tommy Lee Jones.

     Headed by three of Hollywood’s most acclaimed, yet rarely seen faces, ‘No Country For Old Men’ really brings out the best and worst attributes of its cast leaders. Even in his later years, Tommy Lee Jones still has what it takes to garner much respect from the audience. He may not be hooking the bad guys as some may hope, but with his vast intellect and comedic understanding of how the west works, his performance is certainly one of which to take notice as the local sheriff who enjoys searching dead bodies, and loves to comprehend dreams of his father (whom Jones’ character has outlived by about twenty years).

     While Jones may be putting his veteran skills to the normal run, the real significance of ‘No Country For Old Men’ is the performance of Javier Bardem. One of the pickiest actors in the business, Bardem has undoubtedly found a perfect match for his gloomy facial expression and witty attitude as a ruthless crook with no sense of humor, and an air tank that has enough pressure to blow somebody’s brains out; if he doesn’t blow out the doorknob first. The man he chases, Josh Brolin, isn’t quite as spectacular as his counterparts, but his awareness, and crave of money for he and his wife is certainly enough to convince the audience that he is truly a man’s man, and not afraid to run with a deranged crook’s money.

     As much as I love to watch any great film conclude its plot points in the final act, I must say, it is only the films with unpredictable climaxes that stick in my mind the longest. Much like Ben Affleck with ‘Gone Baby Gone,’ the Coen Brothers end this thrilling masterpiece in a way that can be widely disputed in many ways. As I left the theater, I heard some people saying, “wow,” and then some others just going “what!?” My take on it is, if you’ve got a book to follow, then just stick with the way the writer penned it, but even without a story to adapt, any dark ending will raise plenty of mixed discussion, but nonetheless, mixed discussion is still discussion, and people will always remember a controversial ending that can be taken in several ways.

     Due to the different atmospheres of each film, it’s difficult to compare ‘No Country For Old Men’ to ‘American Gangster’ at this point, but I’m pretty sure that in the long run, if anything is going to reach the standards of performing Washington and Crowe set forth in ‘Gangster,’ this is the film to do it. I’m still pretty set on ‘Gangster’ being my number one for the year, but when the majority polls are rounded up, ‘No Country’ just might slip by shortly before the finish line; if not, the air tank will still have enough pressure to make this a film to remember in the coming years.

NOTE TO LOCAL READERS: ‘No Country For Old Men’ has received limited exposure in its opening weeks, but it can be seen at Regal Cinemas in Macon, GA. Click here for more information.