No Country for Old Men

Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a number of dead bodies, a huge stash of heroin, and $2 million. He takes the money, causing a deadly assassin (Javier Bardem) to try and track him down while a sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) follows them both.

Review:

Tim: No Country for Old Men is one of those films that is hailed as an instant classic, critics love, and everyone needs to see. When I saw it, I thought the film was very, very good, but I'm not sure it is nearly as amazing as people claimed.

First, what I liked. The Coens give us a beautiful film- that is not debatable. The movie unfolds slowly- the film's patience is one of its strongest aspects. Nothing ever feels rushed. The movie has some incredibly backdrops, and is amazing to look at. The film also balances out action, drama, and suspense very well. It has a good (sometimes great) cast, and the direction is superb.

When mentioning the cast, the first mention has to be Javier Bardem. He gives one of the most complicated, chilling, memorable performances of all time. He vastly deserved his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is absolutely mesmerizing on film. It is extremely difficult to take your eyes off him. It is a wonderful performance. The rest of the cast is good, too. Josh Brolin gives a good performance, although at times, it felt like he was acting in his own film. I applaud his restraint in the role. You also have to love Tommy Lee Jones in his role. He serves as the movie's anchor, and delivers the film's opening and (more importantly), the unforgettable closing lines. I wish he had more screen time. Woody Harrelson also adds in a fairly good performance, although he feels slightly out of place.

I do wish the film gave a slightly bigger emotional payoff. I felt emotionally invested the whole time, but I wasn't really impacted in any major way. I expected the film to offer an emotionally crippling impact, but this never came. I feel like even more character development was needed.

While not perfect, No Country for Old Men does so much right that it deserves to be discussed in the year's top films. There is so much in the film that is absolutely unforgettable, that the movie immediately burrows into the collective cultural conscious. The film is outstanding.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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There Will Be Blood, The Sea Inside, Fargo, Miller's Crossing