If you consider yourself a cinephile, then see this movie. It's well made and well acted, but I thought the screenplay could have been better and the movie was VERY slow at points. One guy even fell asleep in the theater I was in!
One of the best movies of the year, hands down! Stand out performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Woody Harrelson...yes, even Woody Harrelson! The story was perfect, and the Coen brothers' direction was amazing! Everyone needs to see this film, because it will be a huge Oscar contender!
My first time watching a Coen Brothers film (Fargo) all i could think was...What the fuck? How can they be so clever, humorous to make such a masterpiece? Well, with that being the case, When I 1st Heard of No Country For Old Men, i wasn't as surprised as i was when i read "A Film By The Coen Brothers" as the trailer kept going....As Soon as i heard that, i knew this movie would be an modern masterpiece. Guess What? I was right.
No Country starts off with fresh shots of the setting, putting up the atmosphere even better (Good Job C.B). With this being done, we're brought to what the movie is about, which is basically about this guy that finds a stash of cash and heroin in this deserted area.....As many of us would do, he took the stash with him...yup, All $2 million of it. What he doesn't know is that this is from a drug deal gone wrong that this psychotic serial killer is behind. So now we find our protagonist being chased around by this maniac. That's the basic plot of this movie.
As usual, C.B (that means Coen Brothers) try to set up their film not only with bad ass action sequences and incredible shots of them, but with terrific dialogue...yup, of Tarantinish proportions. We're often found in situations where its crucial what is being said in order to completely admire the film, which leads to the ending that not many people like and hate this movie for.
First of, before watching the movie, Read the fucking title, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. It basically implies this....the world is changing, how things were done before, how our "senior" citizens acted and reacted towards actions is way different that how it was in their days, Their time is up...now its our time to rule...Now when you watch the movie and don't like the ending, think about that i just wrote.
Javier Bardem (that would be the antagonist) is fucking AMAZING, in depth acting, total control over the shots being taken, if there's a reason why this movie needs to be seen, is because of him, Although Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson are great actors, it wouldn't have been the same without Javier, his chemistry with the world that revolves around him is top friking notch! I guess i'll never be able to stress how much i love this morning, or how graciously perfect it is....Its just one of those gems that come in a few years IF we're lucky, and yup...We definetly are lucky viewers, unless of course you chose to watch a crappy movie over this, and if that's the case, SHAME ON YOU! haha, no but seriously, Flawless acting, although i will admit no movie is perfect and this isn't really a fault, its just funny to point out. I love how The Coen Brothers apply their setting to the society, just like in fargo, No Country For Old Men strongly flows with deep accents that are difficult not to laugh at, Its not a flaw, it just adds to the humorous side of the film.
I dedicate this segment of my review to the badass shotgun used in this movie, the weapon choice was so unique, it wasn't just a maniac going on a killing spree, he had wit, morals and class in what he did.....I love how everything he stands for is in his own world, the right thing, even 10 minutes before the ending it got to me how this world has come as fucked up as it is...Amazing Storytelling.
So, to wrap it all up...Lemme say this....1970s was Clockwork Orange , 1980s was Amadeus, 1990s was Schindler's List and in 2000s is, of course....No Country For Old Men. Instant Classic, this doesn't need 25 years to turn into one...Sheer Perfection. Lets just hope the cockgobblers at the Academy Awards actually recognize this movie cuz it deserves the highest recognition of any movie in these past 7 years, except of course, City Of God.
I absolutely loved this movie! I call it a slice of life movie, where you a get a glimpse of a moment of several intersecting lives, lives of real people that could exist now. Very interesting. Very human. When a movie is like this, it makes you think. It reminds you of the real world. The big, bad world.
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande. Actors & Cast for No Country for Old Men
Tommy Lee Jones Javier Bardem Josh Brolin Woody Harrelson Stephen Root Kelly Macdonald
No Country for Old Men
Great pacing, wonderful dialogue and characterization, intriguing story. "No Country... " is a wonderful work of film.
However, while I generally like innovation in filming, the way the climax was handled felt too gimmicky for me. I felt like I went to pee, and missed an important scene.
Also, thematically, nihilistic films (of which this is a brilliant example of) do not have the staying power that other genres do. A movie about how the world, or humanity, has no soul, by its own definition, cannot have one of its own. Without that sense of awe, or wonderment, I can only think about it at a later date, maybe ponder a little, but it does not have the same impact that other (even more flawed works) create.
Your mileage may vary, but it's definitely worth a watch.
I love watching great actors becasue it's as though you're not watching acting at all. In other words, I was impressed how this dialogue actually sounded genuine. Everyone was chosen well for their respective parts. Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin were exceptional and Tommy Lee Jones gave another impressive performance. There was little to no music which added a deeper realism. When we see the seen of the first crime, the film shows our protagonist trying to make sense of the carnage. It's within this subtlty that we get drawn into this plot. I found there were some similarities to "Fargo" minus the humor. Another strange crime but this film goes into a more grisly and destructive direction. It seems as though each character believes that they have the upper-hand but life doesn't work that way. We learn that fate has a plan all its own.
Everything you allow yourself to think this movie will be they sweep the rug out from under systemetically and with purpose. Perfect acting on brilliant, quirky dialogue, out-of-the-box pacing, and an ending that left me sitting in silence as the credits rolled.
yeeeeouch! press the replay button again. this one's a keeper, for sure, as javier bardem re-ups the ante some on just what's wrong with those darn kids nowadays in this commentary on modern times, natch, and (gasp!) the generation gap! move over, de niro, there's a new kid in town, and he's muscling in on yer home turf bigtime. the title don't really hit you either, until after you see it. america the beautiful? this film adores the america everybody else is trying to get away from, the america with big wide open spaces in between...and what, oh what, can happen there? see a guy sweat bullets just fer askin' "how's the weather up there?" in one of my fav scenes...see it, see it, see it
Gut-wrenching tension from beginning to end. Solid performances across the board and one of the most terrifying villains in modern cinema. You will have a hard time forgetting certain scenes from this movie
Riveting and tense. This movie is not for the faint of heart with an Oscar caliber performance by Javier Bardem. It will make you laugh. It will make you squirm. It will make you wince. It will make you think.
I don't know how you tell a compelling narrative without including your climax and just skipping to the resolution, but the Coen brothers just did it. At first I felt a bit let down, but then I realized, that's how life is (and what being drunk causes), you don't always have the full story. Perfect filmaking with real tension throughout the whole film. Well done.
I didn't think it was going to be possible to improve on the McCarthy novel. This enhances and expands on it in extraordinary ways. But it IS STILL "No Country". All of the adjectives I wanted to use (spellbinding, gorgeously grisly...) to describe this film sounds like tired movie review copy. So just leave now.
Go.
I loved almost every second of it. Just engrossing, intense, and the perfect "new Western." if you loved Leone, you'll appreciate so many nuances of this film. Gruesome, relentless, awesome. Almost perfect. Maybe it is.
As good as films get. You'll want to see it again as soon as it's over, for the cinematography, the acting, the dialogue... No Country has such depth, and subtlety. It blew me away.
When I first reviewed the Cohen Brothers? Fargo, I was openly aware that I had enjoyed the film and thought it was something excellent. Nevertheless, I was left slightly perplexed with the feeling that something in the movie just didn?t quite work enough to give it full marks. I took to ranking the film as 9.5/10 whenever I was asked. Where is that other .5? In ?No Country for Old Men? I found it. Yes, it contains the perfect mixture of its elements ? all in balance.
The film, adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy, examines the situation which follows after Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin in another excellent turn) discovers a drug deal gone bad in the deserts of Texas. He finds the bodies, the guns, and then the money. He takes some of the guns, all the money, and leaves the bodies behind. He soon realizes that he is being hunted; on one hand by a gang of Mexicans who have something to do with the deal; on the other hand by a ruthless psychopath named Anton Chigurgh (played incredibly by Javier Bardem). Both parties were hired by a rich businessman of sorts (William Root), who in turn hires a bounty hunter (Woody Harrelson) to take care of things when things get out of hand. Also in the mix is Sherriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones in anther great performance). He investigates the killings in the desert, and the bodies of others who were unfortunate enough to meet Chigurgh along his hunt for the stolen money.
Jones delivers two great monologues in the film. One at the start, off-screen, narrated to Roger Deakin?s beautiful cinematography, and the other at the very end of the film as the camera remains steady on his face. These monologues are just two of the marvels of No Country for Old Men. The cinematography is breathtaking; the dialogue superb. Another marvel of delivery in the film is virtually every line of dialogue delivered by Bardem. Consider one scene in which, after being offended by the small talk of a gas station attendant, where he forces the man to call a coin toss. The wager is ?everything,? and though it goes unspoken, the attendant quietly realizes the brevity of the situation. The only issue I take with the film is with some of the lines given to Carson Welles, the bounty hunter played by Woody Harrelson. Some of his lines seem out of place, but that they are delivered so well it hardly matters. That the film makes no real false steps completely erases any other small issues.
The film merits some serious artistic credits. Shots, dialogue, editing all have moments of incredible beauty and meaning. The camera work and set up of shots are incredibly well crafted. Things move at a deliberate speed, never too fast, never too slow, and serve to heighten tension to a tee. I was reminded of one of two films this year that blew me away. That film was Bela Tarr?s The Man from London. The other was No Country for Old Men. Though the camera shots are never as long or as lingering, some of it?s fluid and slow movements reminded very much of Tarr?s style. Whether the Cohen?s have seen his work or not however is irrelevant. One of the most glorious moments in the film comes as one character makes his final appearance. The framing, the dialogue, and the final slow fade amount to such a great sendoff a better one can not be imagined.
The film takes its subject matter more seriously than Fargo did, and contains just the right mix of violence, poetry, odd humor and pathos. Therein lies the .5 missing from Fargo. In that film the mixture was off, not a bad thing but nevertheless after seeing No Country for Old Men I recognized that?s what had been perplexing me.
The closing monologue by Ed Tom Bell about a dream he had of his father, is one of the most important moments in the film, delivered by its most important character. His final words and the final cut in the film will stay with you: '?And then I woke up?.' Cut to black.
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MCT:December 6, 2007
MCT:December 6, 2007
MCT:December 6, 2007
MCT:December 6, 2007
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MCT:December 5, 2007
