"There comes a time in any film fanatic's life when a film comes along that is so rich, so tense, so dramatic and beautifully executed by the writers, directors and actors that the film fan wishes there were more stars, thumbs and words to describe the extreme brilliance of the said film.
For 2007, that said film is 'No Country for Old Men.'"
Based on the acclaimed 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy, "No Country for Old Men" is adapted for the screen and directed by the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. It takes place in 1980 in West Texas near the Mexican border. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam veteran, holed up living in a trailer park home with his young wife Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald). While out hunting antelope near the Rio Grande, he comes across a drug deal gone tragically wrong, with dead bodies scattered around a group of trucks and cars. Next to one of the dead mean, Moss finds a satchel filled with two million dollars. With a look at the money and at the bloodied man lying against a shade tree, Moss grunts, "Hmm," and takes the cash home.
Meanwhile, on the trail of that money is a sadistic man named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Never quite indentified as to what his role is-Bounty hunter? Hitman?-Chigurh (pronounced Shi-GURR), with his bob haircut and pasty face, he looks like the grown-up version of Damien from the original "The Omen." And yet, he doesn't have to identify his purpose, especially when he uses a cattlegun for weapon and key. When he punches that sucker through a door lock, that deadbolt goes shooting across the room like a bullet.
Also on Moss' tail, as well as Chigurh's trail of violence, is Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), an aging lawman of the old fashioned Old West when right was right and wrong was wrong. Disillusioned by the changing times of drugs and murder, Bell is as desperate to stop these heinous crimes as well as those passing years of transformation.
Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) is dispatched by an unidentified man (Stephen Root) to recover the "missing funds" before Chigurh loses control.
The Coens have a wily way of crossing genres with their movies. In "Fargo," its part murder mystery, art black comedy. In "The Big Lebowski," it's a mix of stoner comedy, Hitchcokian mystery and quirky satire. For "No Country for Old Men," they meld the wild West with modern cat-and-mouse crime mysteries. It is also, undoubtedly the finest picture this year.
"No Country for Old Men" does what so many movies lack nowadays-it comes alive, mesmerizing the audience with terrifying suspense, violence and scathing black humor, as well as characters they feel a genuine emotional connection to, whether it's the sympathy for Moss wanting to provide better for his wife or the aging arm of the law who is caught in a web of crime's evolution.
Either way, the Coens have crafted an intelligent masterpiece.
They have adapted such a rich work (I'm about halfway through McCarthy's novel and it is terrific) into screenplay that is taught, witty and scary. The Coen brothers are back in perfect form. While most critics are comparing this to the Coens' earlier films with a select few criticizing it for being redundant from their "Blood Simple" debut, I view it as a stand-alone picture, as if it is their first work-and their greatest masterpiece.
This is a film of few words-and little music. While Carter Burwell is created as composer, the film relies on the setting to have a voice: the wind rushing across the West Texas desert or the crunches of cowboy boots across the grit dirt of the south.
Also of few words are two of the principle leads: Brolin and Bardem. Bardem is sensationally mesmerizing, sure-fire one of the finest performances this year, and Brolin's performance is equally terrific, poised and powerful. Come Oscar time, these two will have their name son the ballot. Sure, Bardem is getting a lot of credit, but Brolin deserves much more credit, too. They are very much the ying and yang to each other. They're both subtle in their performances yet they come alive in the poignant, cunning way they travel through the story.
Jones brings the heavy weight to the film, the veteran everyman who was born to be in a Coen brothers' movie. He fits well into those wise men of age who have seen it all-and yet, this character apparently hasn't, and Jones goes all out to deliver.
Come February you will hear many names called out during the little ceremony known as the Academy Awards, but one film will tie many of those together.
"No Country for Old Men" is, unequivocally, the best film of the year.
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