Here is a movie that is subtle and silent, but also as tense and involving as just about any movie I can think of this year.
No Country For Old Men does not have a lot of action, but it is more exciting than any action movie to come out this year. A majority of the film uses very little or sparse dialogue, but it is more fleshed out than most dialogue-heavy films. And when they do speak, their words seem to have been chosen carefully, and they always have something interesting to say. This is the very definition of a slow burn thriller. A movie that slowly wraps you up, and by the time your pulse is racing and you're completely involved, you haven't even noticed it coming.
The secret? Filmmaking duo Ethan and Joel Coen (
Fargo,
Raising Arizona), in adapting the acclaimed novel by Cormac McCarthy, know just how to tell this story in such a way where even the tiniest detail seems bigger than it would be in lesser hands. Even though this is a minimalist production, with a majority of the film only covering two people (one being on the run, the other looking for the other one), the movie never once drags or loses our interest. It knows exactly how to use these characters, and how to use its supporting players so that they don't get in the way.
No Country is a chilling crime story, a thrilling game of cat and mouse, and a morality tale all wrapped into one. Walking into the film, I was a bit concerned of the hype and acclaim it had received, as I have been let down before in the past. (
Brokeback Mountain is a recent example.) This time, the praise is warranted. The skill of the filmmakers, the cast, and everyone involved is up there on the screen.
The action starts out in and around a Texas trailer park community, where a Vietnam Vet named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin, who is having a very good year with this and
American Gangster) comes upon what looks to be a massacre after a drug deal went bad while he is out hunting in the desert. As he follows the crime scene, he comes upon a bag filled with two million dollars. He takes it, little knowing that there is a tracking device within the bag, and that a serial killer named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is on a state-wide killing spree looking for it. Other parties involved with the botched deal are looking for it as well, and before long, Llewelyn is forced to send his trusting wife (Kelly Macdonald) off to her mother's so that she won't get involved. Llewelyn himself goes on the run, trying to stay ahead of the people chasing him. All the while, a tired and weathered Texas Sheriff named Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) gets involved as the bodies continue to pile up in the wake of these mens' actions, and tries to get the help of Llewelyn's wife to contact her husband and get him in touch with him before it is too late.
The Coen Brothers are certainly no strangers to crime stories, as they have proven their skill in past films such as
Blood Simple (their first movie),
Miller's Crossing, and
Fargo in dealing with some of the worst that humanity has to offer. They've always expertly blended drama, shocking violence, and knowing dark humor in their stories, which has made them one of the more successful filmmaking teams in the past 20 years.
No Country For Old Men more than lives up to the reputation of the previously mentioned films, and works as a very nice companion piece to them. The way this movie gets under our skin and wraps us into the story is strangely enough, its use of silence. So many scenes contain very little or no dialogue, but the tension grows, because we are constantly wondering what is going to happen next. A majority of the film follows a very simple, but effective, cat and mouse formula as Llewelyn tries to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, while the very calm and chilling killer, Anton, gets closer to tracking the money down in each scene. We know that eventually their paths will cross, and we anticipate what will happen. The movie does not let us down when it reaches this point, but the outcome is not the one we are expecting. This is a movie that not only keeps us wondering what's going to happen next, but also keeps us involved, by taking the unexpected route, which I will not reveal in this review.
Even though the film mainly centers on the growing chase between Llewelyn and Anton, everyone has an important role to play. Even characters who initially seem to have little to do with the story, like the Sheriff in some of his early scenes, eventually grow on us and play much larger roles. This is not a simple black and white movie, and even the "hero" of the story starts to make us question his true motives. Llewelyn is ultimately motivated by greed, and seems little concerned about the consequences his actions have brought him, even though they are staring at him right in the face, until it is too late. He's the one who lets the situation escalate as far as it does, and although he reasons his own actions out to himself, we wonder if he really has the best of intentions for himself and everyone around him. All Sheriff Ed Tom Bell can do is sit back, and wonder just what he can really do. He can try to keep the streets safe as much as he can, but he can only do so much. He knows that the violence in this world will continue long after he is gone. He acts somewhat as a moral center to the story, but he is also sad and somewhat tired of everything he sees around him every day.
The performances of both of these characters, provided by Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, are some of the best work both men have done recently. Brolin is forced to carry a majority of the film almost by himself, says very little, but gives such a wonderful and expressful performance that he seldom ever needs words. We can see it in his face. He also expertly pulls off some of the films most tense scenes, such as when he is sitting on his bed, certain that someone is looking for him right outside his door. Although his gun is drawn and aimed at the door, we can see that he is uncertain if he'll even survive what is to come. His performance in this scene, and the genuine tension the scene itself creates, is a highlight in a film filled with many highlight scenes. Jones is understated, but very effective, as a character who has obviously seen a lot more than he's ever cared to see in his lifetime, and is starting to question just how much good he really is doing. His character grows in importance as the film goes on, and he grows on us as well. This is one of the finest characters Jones has gotten in years, and it's wonderful to see such a heartfelt performance accompanying it.
The main stand out in the cast, however, is Javier Bardem. He is an actor who I have not noticed much before in the past, but here as the soulless killer Anton, you can't take your eyes off of him. This is easily the most chilling and haunting performance of a serial killer I have seen in years, and I highly doubt anything can top it. The audience finds themselves tensing up every time he's on the screen. He is a man who kills with hardly a second thought, and so every time he approaches a person, we wind up holding our breath. It is the cold and calm demeanor that Bardem gives his character that makes him so effective. He basically views people as animals waiting to be slaughtered, and we can tell that he seldom even thinks twice about this notion. What makes his character all the more chilling is that the movie seldom lets us see the aftermath of his actions. We know what the outcome was, but we sometimes don't get to see it. When we do get to see him kill, it is brutal and as powerful as a punch to the gut. Javier Bardem's work is easily worthy of Award nomination, and easily is the most unforgettable performance in the film. This is the kind of performance that not only makes a career, but makes a film as well, and it is certain not to be forgotten by me anytime soon.
No Country For Old Men is yet another example that 2007 is going out stronger than any year in recent memory. It is subtle, but it is also more frightening and chilling than any horror film you'd care to name that was released this year. It's rare to see so many things come together this well in a movie, but when they do, it is a wonderful thing. And indeed, everything does come together. The filmmaking is flawless, the editing is tight, the cinematography of the Texas landscape captures out attention, and the performances are some of the best of the year. This is not just a return to their filmmaking roots for the Coen Brothers, this is one of the best films they've made in a career that includes many fine films.
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Here is a movie that is subtle and silent, but also as tense and involving as just about any movie I can think of this year. No Country For Old Men does not have a lot of action, but it is more exciting than any action movie to come out this year. A majority of the film uses very little or sparse dialogue, but it is more fleshed out than most dialogue-heavy films. And when they do speak, their words seem to have been chosen carefully, and they always have something interesting to say. This is the very definition of a slow burn thriller. A movie that slowly wraps you up, and by the time your pulse is racing and you're completely involved, you haven't even noticed it coming.
The secret? Filmmaking duo Ethan and Joel Coen (Fargo, Raising Arizona), in adapting the acclaimed novel by Cormac McCarthy, know just how to tell this story in such a way where even the tiniest detail seems bigger than it would be in lesser hands. Even though this is a minimalist production, with a majority of the film only covering two people (one being on the run, the other looking for the other one), the movie never once drags or loses our interest. It knows exactly how to use these characters, and how to use its supporting players so that they don't get in the way. No Country is a chilling crime story, a thrilling game of cat and mouse, and a morality tale all wrapped into one. Walking into the film, I was a bit concerned of the hype and acclaim it had received, as I have been let down before in the past. (Brokeback Mountain is a recent example.) This time, the praise is warranted. The skill of the filmmakers, the cast, and everyone involved is up there on the screen.
The action starts out in and around a Texas trailer park community, where a Vietnam Vet named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin, who is having a very good year with this and American Gangster) comes upon what looks to be a massacre after a drug deal went bad while he is out hunting in the desert. As he follows the crime scene, he comes upon a bag filled with two million dollars. He takes it, little knowing that there is a tracking device within the bag, and that a serial killer named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is on a state-wide killing spree looking for it. Other parties involved with the botched deal are looking for it as well, and before long, Llewelyn is forced to send his trusting wife (Kelly Macdonald) off to her mother's so that she won't get involved. Llewelyn himself goes on the run, trying to stay ahead of the people chasing him. All the while, a tired and weathered Texas Sheriff named Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) gets involved as the bodies continue to pile up in the wake of these mens' actions, and tries to get the help of Llewelyn's wife to contact her husband and get him in touch with him before it is too late.
The Coen Brothers are certainly no strangers to crime stories, as they have proven their skill in past films such as Blood Simple (their first movie), Miller's Crossing, and Fargo in dealing with some of the worst that humanity has to offer. They've always expertly blended drama, shocking violence, and knowing dark humor in their stories, which has made them one of the more successful filmmaking teams in the past 20 years. No Country For Old Men more than lives up to the reputation of the previously mentioned films, and works as a very nice companion piece to them. The way this movie gets under our skin and wraps us into the story is strangely enough, its use of silence. So many scenes contain very little or no dialogue, but the tension grows, because we are constantly wondering what is going to happen next. A majority of the film follows a very simple, but effective, cat and mouse formula as Llewelyn tries to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, while the very calm and chilling killer, Anton, gets closer to tracking the money down in each scene. We know that eventually their paths will cross, and we anticipate what will happen. The movie does not let us down when it reaches this point, but the outcome is not the one we are expecting. This is a movie that not only keeps us wondering what's going to happen next, but also keeps us involved, by taking the unexpected route, which I will not reveal in this review.
Even though the film mainly centers on the growing chase between Llewelyn and Anton, everyone has an important role to play. Even characters who initially seem to have little to do with the story, like the Sheriff in some of his early scenes, eventually grow on us and play much larger roles. This is not a simple black and white movie, and even the "hero" of the story starts to make us question his true motives. Llewelyn is ultimately motivated by greed, and seems little concerned about the consequences his actions have brought him, even though they are staring at him right in the face, until it is too late. He's the one who lets the situation escalate as far as it does, and although he reasons his own actions out to himself, we wonder if he really has the best of intentions for himself and everyone around him. All Sheriff Ed Tom Bell can do is sit back, and wonder just what he can really do. He can try to keep the streets safe as much as he can, but he can only do so much. He knows that the violence in this world will continue long after he is gone. He acts somewhat as a moral center to the story, but he is also sad and somewhat tired of everything he sees around him every day.
The performances of both of these characters, provided by Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, are some of the best work both men have done recently. Brolin is forced to carry a majority of the film almost by himself, says very little, but gives such a wonderful and expressful performance that he seldom ever needs words. We can see it in his face. He also expertly pulls off some of the films most tense scenes, such as when he is sitting on his bed, certain that someone is looking for him right outside his door. Although his gun is drawn and aimed at the door, we can see that he is uncertain if he'll even survive what is to come. His performance in this scene, and the genuine tension the scene itself creates, is a highlight in a film filled with many highlight scenes. Jones is understated, but very effective, as a character who has obviously seen a lot more than he's ever cared to see in his lifetime, and is starting to question just how much good he really is doing. His character grows in importance as the film goes on, and he grows on us as well. This is one of the finest characters Jones has gotten in years, and it's wonderful to see such a heartfelt performance accompanying it.
The main stand out in the cast, however, is Javier Bardem. He is an actor who I have not noticed much before in the past, but here as the soulless killer Anton, you can't take your eyes off of him. This is easily the most chilling and haunting performance of a serial killer I have seen in years, and I highly doubt anything can top it. The audience finds themselves tensing up every time he's on the screen. He is a man who kills with hardly a second thought, and so every time he approaches a person, we wind up holding our breath. It is the cold and calm demeanor that Bardem gives his character that makes him so effective. He basically views people as animals waiting to be slaughtered, and we can tell that he seldom even thinks twice about this notion. What makes his character all the more chilling is that the movie seldom lets us see the aftermath of his actions. We know what the outcome was, but we sometimes don't get to see it. When we do get to see him kill, it is brutal and as powerful as a punch to the gut. Javier Bardem's work is easily worthy of Award nomination, and easily is the most unforgettable performance in the film. This is the kind of performance that not only makes a career, but makes a film as well, and it is certain not to be forgotten by me anytime soon.
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