No Country for Old Men

I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does. No Country for Old Men is directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, and the Coen's adapt the screenplay from Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harelson, Javier Bardem and Kelly Macdonald. Music is by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Roger Deakins. When a hunter stumbles upon the bloody aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, he decides to make off with cash left at the scene, that violence and life threat will follow from here on in... Not quite the genius masterpiece some would have you believe, this is however and decidedly dark, sombre, gothic type thriller with noir shadings. The ultimate message slowly pulsing away is one of how making a fateful decision can shape the course of many people's lives, with fate ready at various junctures to trip you up. The Coen's and McCarthy are not in it to offer hope for a better world, this really is a life stinks and is evil narrative, none more so than portrayed by Bardem's chilling psycopath. The unpredictable nature of the story keeps things on the high heat, even as Deakins brings beauty via his colour photography, his teaming with the Coen's brings visual smarts. The screenplay is tightly formed, giving the actors something great to work with, and as they respond in kind, while we the audience are drawn in close to the slow burning madness. It definitely finds the brothers Coen returning to their best, as they take McCarthy's melancholic machismo and drip their self aware irony over proceedings. The finale lacks a punch, and in fact it's a little boorish, while this narrative has been done well before in film noirs of the original wave - so it's not as fresh and exciting to us more mature film lovers. Yet it's still a great piece of film making, the like we could do with more regularly. 9/10 , gorgeously photographed by longtime Coen associate Roger Deakins, and genuinely smart, but its insights boil down to "Whichever way you turn, fate sticks out a foot to trip you," and DETOUR (1945) got there first.

I watched this for the first time with a few friends as part of an ongoing movie night we shared. I think it was the most violent film we watched together. The plot is taut and somewhat riveting, with great dialogue and acting. At the same time, for me, it seemed rather bleak. I gradually had the sense it would not end well for nearly anybody. If it weren’t for the Tommy Lee Jones character, I am not sure I would have wanted to stick with it. He provides a sort of balance in the mood of the film. I am not a big fan of movies with super criminals. You know the ones — they seem to always be one step ahead of the hero or the authorities, free to run roughshod until that are defeated at the very end of the movie, if at all. Woody Harrelson delivers another one of his stellar performances. Who knew he would be so good very early on in his career? Oddly enough, No Country for Old Men caused metaphorical violence to our movie watch group, as there was an exchange that caused us to watch no more films together. Powerful stuff.

I can't say I view this one positively. I clearly don't get it, which I'm fine with. I'm all for films that don't play it so straight that it's predictable, but at the same time I'm rarely a fan of films that are so full of themselves to end in such a derisory way. Listen, that's probably harsh as it is still a good flick no doubt, but <em>'No Country for Old Men'</em> is highly unsatisfactory and highly uninspiring for me. I will say that I have no issues with the cast whatsoever, they are all fantastic. Javier Bardem is awesome, easily the star, and Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson are all top value. Kelly Macdonald and Garret Dillahunt are also involved, I like them too. Stephen Root, Mr. 'L for Love' himself, as well. Away from the onscreen bunch, the cinematography is superb. It's the story. I didn't get what I wanted from it, at all. All the ingredients are there for a 10/10 film, that's the level I was expecting it to reach based on the opening half or so. The second half though... super disappointing! So many underwhelming choices. Such a waste of a strong cast... <em>'The Counselor'</em>-esque. Bardem is also in that, sorry my dude! The fact I'm still giving this what I consider to be a positive rating shows how much the conclusion frustrated me. This had top tier written all over it but it somehow messed it up as it went by... and I'm not usually one to dig out a film's ending. In my defence, even some reviews (many, in fact) from people who love the film mention that the ending isn't perfect so I guess it just comes down to how the final moments sit with you. For me, evidently not good!