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No Country for Old Men
Dreamworks Pictures
Directed By: Ethan and Joel Coen
Written By: Ethan and Joel Coen
Produced By: Ethan and Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly MacDonald, Woody Harrelson, Garrett Dillahunt, Barry Corbin, Tess Harper, Stephen Root
Review Date: December 21, 2007
Alex's Rating: A
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I am a huge fan of novelist Cormac McCarthy and in my opinion his masterpiece is No Country for Old Men. Even though his newest project The Road won him the Pulitzer prize and the Nobel prize I still feel like No Country is his finest and it’s about as good as fiction gets. His bleak outlook on the direction of society is best personified through No Country character Sheriff Ed Tom Bell’s outrageous predicament and his internal monologues that comment on an old man’s place in society.
After hearing that the brilliant Coen Brothers, whose film Fargo will probably always be in my top 10 films of all time, had signed on to direct No Country for Old Men I was enthused. Some of the greatest films ever made have been derived from great books and I was excited to see what the Coens had in store.
Last night I finally saw the film version of No Country for Old Men and I may never pick up the book again.
The Coen brothers have created one of the most masterful suspense-dramas in the past decade. They create a unique atmosphere where stillness is suspense and silence is the best soundtrack. Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself holding your breath at some of the most intense moments this year.
The film opens with still shots of the Texas plains. The tan tint to everything sets the tone for the movie (and brought back memories of the austere white landscape that opened Fargo.) Sheriff Ed Tom Bell begins his voice-over narrative, in which he compares his grandfather’s Texas with his crime-ridden Texas. It is immediately apparent that things are not they way they once were.
We then meet our protagonist Llewellyn Moss, who happens upon a drug deal gone wrong. After surveying the scene of carnage looking for the “last man standing” he eventually happens upon a satchel full of 2 million dollars. His decision to take the money and run begins one of the greatest cat and mouse chases in film history.
Constantly being followed by a group of Mexicans as well as the psychotic, murderous, escaped convict Anton Chigurh, Moss makes his way from Motel to Motel lugging the satchel like a weight. Several close encounters build the suspense and the use of almost no soundtrack may leave you with only the sound of your own heartbeat.
At the heart of this chase game, however is the fundamental message that the world has gone sour. Every character falls on a different end on the moral spectrum from Chigurh at the most evil to Sheriff Ed Tom Bell at the kind old man who has given up on the world. As the title suggests and the result of the chase indicates, it is the young and the lawless that rule the world.
The simplistic approach to the cinematography of the movie reflects the sentimental message that life has gotten too complicated. Every scene is masterfully executed through minimal camera movement, yet every shot has so much character. In a Coen brothers movie the atmosphere is as much a part of the movie as the action.
The Coen’s are infamous for creating memorable characters and giving their actors the chance to deliver career-defining performances. After Fargo, Frances McDormand will always be Marge Gunderson to me. Every time I see Jeff Bridges I will think of The Dude from The Big Lebowski. After seeing No Country for Old Men I have a feeling that Javier Bardem will always be Anton Chigurh to me. His psychotic determination underscored by some almost robotic physical movements created one of the scariest and often hilarious characters ever. His eyes told the whole story with a constant redness surrounding them giving you the feeling that this Chigurh never sleeps. Moss’s description “ultimate badass” is probably the most appropriate.
Also at the top of his game was Josh Brolin, who is having a hell of a year coming off a contrasting, but great performance in American Gangster. Brolin executes Moss’s shift from hesitation and fear at the beginning of the film to confidence and hope at the end with excellent precision. His role as the daring Texan taking on a huge foe was less stereotypical than usual for a Coen’s brothers protagonist, but perfect for this story.
Fans of the book will love the ending as the Coen brothers remain incredibly faithful to McCarthy’s novel. The sign of a great adaptation is one that can pay homage to its source material while at the same time creating something completely original and magnificent. The Coen brothers have managed to do this, which makes No Country for Old Men more than a great adaptation, but an all-around great movie.
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