Rated R

Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen

Staring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Beth Grant, Garrett Dillahunt

Heidi Illustrious Rating: 4

Word of Warning to you softies out there: This is a Coen brothers’ film - it is dark and there is violence.

As an avid moviegoer, I have been seeing preview for No Country for Old Men for a long time. I did not expect to like it; the previews looked creepy and even after Oscar-whispers started, I didn’t want to see it. On Sunday afternoon, several hours before the 80th Academy Awards were slated to begin, I relented. I am glad I did. With the film taking home four Oscars, including the coveted Best Picture category, it was a must see for me. It also won Best Director (Coen brothers), Actor in a Supporting Role (Javier Bardem) and Writing (best adapted screenplay). 

Surprisingly, out of the five films nominated for Best Picture, No Country for Old Men turned out to be my second favorite. I still like Michael Clayton the best, but Country was a standout film.

Based on Cormac McCarthy’s best selling novel of the same name, the story takes place in West Texas against a backdrop of stunning desolation. It is the story of a drug deal gone wrong, the man who stumbles on the drug money and goes on the run with it and the psychopathic killer who is looking to recover the money. Along the way, the audience is introduced to many colorful characters and for me, this was the best part of the movie; even the smallest roles were unforgettably portrayed. The down-home hospitality, the cowboy boots, big hats and even bigger belt buckles, all accompanied by a West Texas drawl added a charming ambiance to an otherwise dark movie.

Movies with dark themes were popular this year and Country is no exception. Tommy Lee Jones plays a West Texas Sheriff, Ed Tom Bell. Bell comes from a long line of Texas lawmen and is nearing the end of his career. He is investigating the shoot out scene where the drug deal went bad and he is investigating several murders in his county. He deduces the murders have been committed by someone after the drug money. He quickly realizes the man who found and fled with the drug money is Llewelyn Moss, a person from the community. Bell begins to develop a relationship with the Llewelyn’s wife in hopes of finding Llewelyn before anyone else does. Bell’s struggle with the case is a poignant theme of the movie.

The writing and filming is tight. There are no wasted scenes or dialogue in this movie. Each scene moves the story forward and though the pace isn’t always top-speed, there is still an edge-of-your-seat affect on the viewer.   

Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem, is one of the quirkiest psychopathic killers to ever hit the big screen. With his odd 70’s haircut and unique murdering method, he is one character movie goers will not soon forget. Bardem was a good pick for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. However, I give a lot of credit to Cormac McCarthy for the success of this movie. With names like Ed, Llewelyn, Carla Jean, Wendell, Loretta and many more, McCarthy has created a story that is as much about people as it is about a psychopathic killer and drug money.

Like the Coen brothers film, Fargo, this movie will likely go down in history as a Coen brothers’ classic; a well-crafted movie, deserved of the praise, a movie people will remember. 

After all this praise, I will add this: the Coen brothers’ movies aren’t for everyone. Several people have told me they didn’t care for this movie, especially the ending - I’d bet they also disliked Fargo. This isn’t the feel good movie of the year – or any other year, for that matter. However I walked out of the movie theater in much better spirits after viewing this movie than Atonement or There will be Blood.