No Country For Old Men (2007)
Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:19PM 
Best gunslinger movie, maybe ever.
| Overall Grade: | A- |
| Story: | A- |
| Acting: | A+ |
| Direction: | A- |
| Visuals: | A- |
No Country For Old Men is a modern gunslinger movie (set in the 1970's) that is more fantastic than Tombstone, more gripping than 3:10 to Yuma (which I liked) and has the nastiest villian in any genre of the silver screen since Darth Vader. What I like about this movie is, well, everything! To begin with the movie is directed with uncanny precision and brutal honesty by the now legenday Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan). Inside the move, the story's hero is a west Texas local name Llewelyn Moss. Played by James Brolin, he is a perfect combination of a likeable, but earthy local man, with plenty of street smarts and a gritty scathe to his voice and actions that make him seem just tough enough to "kick butt" when the situation requires. The local sheriff (played perfectly by Tommy Lee Jones) is a weathered old guy who plods along methodically trying to find answers. Both the hero and the sheriff play exceptional roles. This movie belongs to the characters, so much so that you hardly care where the stories goes. You remain entralled with the great performances of the actors. But the show hangs squarely on the shoulders of the assassin with a self-inforced code of honor. His name is Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem). You really haven't seen a villian like this for a very long time. He transcends the typical nasty villian or brutal tough guy. Yet it is his honor that keeps him even more feared. Whatever he promises will happen- and most of those promises are not nice.
The storyline is simple enough- a case full of money ends up in Llewelyn's hands. Coming upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad, our hero takes a turn to selishly grab the spoils after the conflict leaves everyone else dead. In turn, assassin Anton Chigurh is hired to hunt down Llewelyn and get back the cash. Once the storyline spins up there are no less than 5 parties in a hunt for each other. It is a very well written story and the script is simple, pared back for the action to have impact and characters to grip you. It works and works well.
No child under 15 should see this movie, in my opinion. There is some language not appropriate, but its the violence and suspense that will prove too much for younger viewers.
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/T6GtM0
Review by Kim Gentes
Reader Comments (2)
just saw no country for old men; it's unassumingly unconventional and yet (thankfully) never over the top. the Coen brothers deserve their oscars, well done indeed.
Patrick,
I agree. It was nice to see them get some nods as filmmakers. It just seems like they are some of the most creative directors that still are in the business. While you don't have to agree with all their work, it always seems like they are at least trying to be engaging and offbeat, not in a quirky way (though it can look that way at times), but in a way that makes you see things fresh, regardless of the topic. I am sure its more work for the crew to make a film like that, but its better than the same-old, same-old that Hollywood can typically churn out.