No Country for Old Men (2007)

The Coen brothers make their finest thriller since Fargo with a restrained adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. Not that there aren't moments of intense violence, but No Country for Old Men is their quietest, most existential film yet. In this modern-day Western, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam vet who could use a break. One morning while hunting antelope, he spies several trucks surrounded by dead bodies (both human and canine). In examining the site, he finds a case filled with $2 million. Moss takes it with him, tells his wife (Kelly Macdonald) he's going away for awhile, and hits the road until he can determine his next move. On the way from El Paso to Mexico, he discovers he's being followed by ex-special ops agent Chigurh (an eerily calm Javier Bardem). Chigurh's weapon of choice is a cattle gun, and he uses it on everyone who gets in his way--or loses a coin toss (as far as he's concerned, bad luck is grounds for death). Just as Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a World War II vet, is on Moss's trail, Chigurh's former colleague, Wells (Woody Harrelson), is on his. For most of the movie, Moss remains one step ahead of his nemesis. Both men are clever and resourceful--except Moss has a conscious, Chigurh does not (he is, as McCarthy puts it, "a prophet of destruction"). At times, the film plays like an old horror movie, with Chigurh as its lumbering Frankenstein monster. Like the taciturn terminator, No Country for Old Men doesn't move quickly, but the tension never dissipates. This minimalist masterwork represents Joel and Ethan Coen and their entire cast, particularly Brolin and Jones, at the peak of their powers. --Kathleen C. Fennessy Amazon.com

 Review for No Country for Old Men
The movie is as advertised. So if you like this kind of movie you will like this product. It arrived on time and was in new condition. May 9, 2008

 No Country For Old Men
Dark, yet very interesting film by the Coen brothers. This film will have you at the edge of your seat. Wonderful group of actors. After I saw this film in the theater, I knew I had to own it. One of my top 25 film favorites of all time. May 9, 2008

 Better every time I watch it
I first got into the Coen brothers when I watched Fargo. Fargo is still one of my all-time favorite movies, but No Country is up there now, too. I first saw No Country in the theater. I liked it, but didn't plan to buy it or watch it again for awhile. I don't know what happened, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to buy it when it came out on DVD. So I did. And every time I watch it it's just better and better.

While Fargo has a humorous side that keeps the edge off, No Country does not. It is dark, serious, and heavy. But it is so finely crafted, such a joy to behold, and so well-acted that it keeps you into it. I'll be honest, though - I've seen some other Coen brothers films like Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink and I personally don't think that they are masters of character development and drawing the audience into the story and into caring about the characters. There always seems to be some detachment. I think it is because of the artistic quality. Their movies, especially No Country, are so finely crafted from a technical and cinematography viewpoint that I think something of the human quality gets lost.

But, that's a minor point, and if you want that kind of movie, go see another director's work. No Country is amazing. It's well worth it. May 9, 2008

 true to the book..
I loved Cormac McCarthy's book NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and thought the movie plays true to the book. It doesn't pull any punches, doesn't sell itself out or wind up in a Hollywood fantasy ending. It is stark, violent, desperate and a bit nostalgic. An old time county sheriff(Tommy Lee Jones, brilliant in a laconic way) yearns for the days when the bad guys could be contained and caught without alot of violence. He could always solve a case without every using a gun but these days there is no limit to the violence(embodied by Javier Bardem's brilliant portrayal). Josh Brolin's character is out hunting and comes across a drug deal gone bad with bodies littered across the stark desert. A lone man is alive and begs him for water but he doesn't have any and takes off after finding a bag of money. But his conscience tears at him and he does the unthinkable even though he knows it is a stupid thing to do. He goes back to the scene of the crime to bring water to the man who by now is dead and he is seen by the drug bosses and the chase begins. My wife never really liked the movie, too violent and too abrupt of an ending. But like I said having read the book I think the film is brilliant and the best adaption of a Cormac McCarthy book I've seen. Any adaption of a McCarthy novel is close to impossible but the Coen Brothers have done it!
May 8, 2008

 Violence for violence's sake. Not good.
I'm a fan of the Coen brothers--but never liked their violent bent. And now, here's a movie that celebrates violence under the pretext of examining it. How pitiful. This movie has nothing redeeming in it whatsoever. It is too violent for anyone to watch. And to think that Hollywood-types celebrated this film--that's a very telling comment on our society which celebrates, applauds, and might I add, worships violence. Our country is in love with it. But it's too much for me.

I will never watch another Coen brothers film again. Sad. Violent. Worthless. Bad for society. And don't tell me I'm not thinking it through enough or analyzing it enough, or that I'm not looking at it as some kind of art. That's crap. I'm an attorney who analyzes things all day long and own more than 500 movies--none of them as violent as this crap.

Here's a thought. Were the Coen brothers on drugs when they made this? Were all the reviewers and Hollywood types who worshipped this film also on drugs? Would the Coen brothers let their kids watch this? Or their mother? Their grandmother?

What we put in our brain is very, very important. And I'll shield mine from this pornography. May 8, 2008

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