No Country for Old Men
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Movie Reviews of No Country for Old Men
Movie Review: Something to break the monotony of American Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
I get tired of seeing the same movie over and over again. Most movies have basically the same plot, a similar timeline, and a near-identical ending. Pretty soon, they start bluring together and you can't even remember which ones you've seen and which ones you haven't seen.
No Country For Old Men is guaranteed to be memorable. First of all. the setting is masterfully done. It takes place in Southwest Texas in 1980. I watched a few scenes from the movie while it was playing at someone else's house. When I saw all of the 1970s era trucks, clothing, and town scenes, I HAD to see the movie. They did such a good job portraying Southwester Texas from 30 years ago, that almost makes it worth it right there.
As everyone has heard, the movie is full of violence and brutal murders. It was not random pointless violence though. It all fit into the storyline and all had the effect of building suspense and adding to the plot. There is a lot of thematic material. I was thinking in terms of archetypes and all that stuff I was forced to learn in high school. YOu have the old Sheriff, played ty Tommy Lee Jones, who is essentially a good guy who only wants to do right, you have the protaganist, the small time cowboy from the trailer park, who finds the suitcase of money from the drug deal gone bad, and you have the psychotic killer who is after him.
The movie got me thinking, how much is money really worth? Would I take that suitcase of money? Is money worth your life? When you are watching this movie, pay attention to this: HOw much is the money worth, both literary and figuratively. In one of the early scenes, you hear it stated that there are 2 million dollars in that briefcase. But as the movie goes on, look at the money and make your own estimate of its value. Lets see if you can catch what I am talking about.
A lot of people hated the ending, because it isn't the same Disney movie kind of ending that we are used to. GOOD is what I say. I'm tired of knowing exactly what is going to happen 15 minutes into each movie. Think of this movie as a journey rather than a destination, but the final words give you something to think about. I think part of the thematic material involves knowing your liminations. Lets see if you come to the same conclusion as me. Check out this movie, a film that is actually worth watching, suspensful and full of suprises.
Movie Review: Darkness just a metaphor...
Summary: 5 Stars
Nothing prepared me for this movie; I didn't read the book. Tommy Lee Jones and the Cohen Bros. were my only draw. I like going into a movie that way, nothing given away in the trailor. I had some pre existing ideas, after all it's a Cohen perspective. I sat down expectling "quirky", but the Cohen's had better than that in store for me.
Javier Bardeem is strangely handsome, even with the now famous haircut, but something quietly dark throws me off any assumptions I want to make about this silent type. I know the movie is about drugs, greed, and integrity. But along the way I learn that it's so much deeper than anything I expected. It's the world layed out for us in the most base, cruel and vial format, where men not only don't have a heart, they walk the earth without a soul, guided by the most animal instincts a human body could possess on two legs. There is no rhyme or reason to the killings for Bardeem. It seems he sets his sights on what he's hired to do and nothing, nothing gets in his way. He flips a coin, you live or die; it appears to be his only entertainment. From his point of view, he's a man of his word; it's everything to him and the strength he draws from that conviction is what appears to keep him going. He doesn't struggle with who he is, he already knows, and has no qualms about doing what he does to anyone, or the cost to himself. He's a terminator. The irony of the cattle gun, as his weapon of choice, is not lost here. There is no interest in torture, just the swift shot to the brain and you're gone; not a seconds thought is wasted on it.
Tommy Lee, just the opposite of morality. Hard working man of law, he gets the way it's always been, the futility of life in the desert, the circumstances with which he faces every day knowing undoubtadly the evil of man will not ever end.
Josh Brolin is the conduit that brings all the characters together. He's a little of both men, which isn't easy. He's certainly willing to gamble with his life and every aspect of it.
Every scene connects seamlessly and I can say without a doubt, that this movie stayed with me for days, believing this cold blooded darkness is alive and well in the world.
It is also my pick for the Best Movie Oscar. I will purchase my copy when released. Best movie of the year, and it wasn't easy with all the great films for this Oscar rating.
Movie Review: Flip A Coin......
Summary: 5 Stars
This film was a real treat and something that I wanted to watch for quite some time because I admire Javier Bardem as an actor. No Country for Old Men is a thriller that delivers brilliant levels of suspense, fear and apprehension whilst simultaneously disposing of the genre's preconceived conventions. The cinematography on show unashamedly harks back to the Coens debut Blood Simple (1983) and with their regular Cinematographer at the helm, Roger A. Deakins, it is no surprise that No Country for Old Men has been nominated for an Oscar in this category. The films score is so subtle that it aids the tension by unwittingly achieving an omnipotent silence recognizable only through an assortment of wind noises which have been superbly complemented by the bleak dialogue and dark humor.
To complement the film further it should be noted that on show here are some of the most powerful and flawless performances for some time and Tommy Lee Jones's is purely outstanding. His character embodies a demeanor of pensive sadness beautifully portrayed by the veteran actor in what is conceivably his best role to date (shocking that he has not been nominated for an Oscar, but this could be due to a lack of screen presence) it should also be noted that the final reels of the film are probably among his best ever committed to celluloid. Javier Bardem's role as the relentless and ruthless psychotic killer is astounding, his on screen presence mesmerizing and his mere appearance a pure treat along with a sense of a darkness casting over the whole room and it really makes you feel like you are in the presence of true evil. When it comes to playing a psychotic I would go so far to say that his performance has only ever been equaled by Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lector and maybe in years to come,
I would like to point out that there is little to no music in the entire film which is a plus to me. The use of silence throughout the majority of the movie is very original in the sense that the music doesn't cue the viewer how to react and when.
So again, not for everyone, but if you are a frequent movie goer and truly understand the makings of a good film, this is an excellent one to see.
I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did...it's undeniably worth your time.
Movie Review: 'To this we've come'
Summary: 5 Stars
Cormac McCarthy's novel NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN has been successfully transformed into a film in the skilled hands of Ethan and Joel Coen. The story is intact, the characters are given the dialog so uniquely McCarthy's invention, and the horror of the message of the book - that we have come to a point in time when crime, especially random murder, surrounds our lives - is, if anything, even more pungent than on the pages of the book. It is an amazing, and a highly disturbing movie, and while this viewer is one of the few who does not believe it deserved the Oscar for Best Picture, there is little doubt that it is a brilliant piece of cinema.
The story is fairly simple: on the raw plains of Texas a slaughter of men and dogs engaged in a drug deal is discovered by a simple guy Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). Moss observes the mayhem, sees the drugs, finds the 2 million dollar payoff money, takes the money, and embarks on an escape, leaving his wife Carla (Kelly Macdonald) to escape the pursuit of a mad killer Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who in turn is being pursued by the local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) and a hired hitman (Woody Harrelson). The satchel of money contains a tracking device and Chigurh has the instrument necessary to follow the trail the device leads. The remainder of the film is the pursuit both in Texas and in Mexico, accompanied by countless brutal murders of all sorts by the crazed Chigurh, until a surprise ending.
But the toughest part of this violent film is more in the discussion of shared philosophies between the sheriff and his old cronies: they reflect on the sad state of universal crime that is so different and more malevolent than in the 'old days'. The conversations, in the superb dialog of these old men, bring our attention to some realities we would rather not confront, and those realities are even more disturbing than the repeated images of bloated bodies and senseless murders that fill the screen. Jones, Brolin, and Bardem are indeed superb in their roles, but the small cameos of the townsfolk of Texas are little gems of acting and direction. This is a difficult film to watch because of all of the violence, but the message is one we must heed. We may be allowing the creation of 'no country for any men'. Grady Harp, March 08
Movie Review: A modern classic that will stand alongside The Godfather
Summary: 5 Stars
I first wrote my Amazon review of the book because, after watching this movie, I was interested to see for myself how much of the screenplay actually came word-for-word from the book.
Although many parts of the book, No Country for Old Men, appear in the movie, don't cheat yourself by missing out on the story in both media.
I mentioned The Godfather because I made a point of reading the Mario Puzo book after watching that movie. As always happens, the movie had to trim away scenes and characters but the heart of the story remained intact.
The Coen brothers had a lot less cutting to do from the source material in making No Country for Old Men. Regardless, the movie and the book both stand up well to repeated viewings and readings.
BTW: Here's my five-star review of the book:
I'm a fan of the Coen Brothers, so their attachment to this book is what drew me to the movie first. I hadn't read Cormac McCarthy's other books, so this story was a nice introduction to his fiction and I look forward to delving into his other works.
The book is a modern-day western. My review follows more than 400 other Amazon reviews, so I'm not going to walk you over well-worn paths.
My review is for people who saw the movie first and may think it unnecessary to pick up the book. Don't deprive yourself. If you enjoyed the movie, you will enjoy the book. I liken this experience to watching the Oscar-winning film The Godfather and then following that up by reading Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather.
As you might have already read or heard, the movie follows the book closely. Naturally, the book provides much more detail about Anton Chigurh, the psychopathic killer at the heart of the story. It is these additional details, these brief scenes that help flesh out Chigurh more as a man than as pure, unrelenting evil.