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No Country for Old Men 
Actors : Javier Bardem, Rodger Boyce, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant
Director : Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Studio : Miramax
by Miramax
Release Date : 2008-03-11
Publisher : Miramax
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 0786936746754
UPC : 786936746754
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 473 reviews)
List Price : $29.99
Our Price : $12.24
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Americancivilwar.com |
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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 |
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Worthy of Best Movie pick! |
Great movie. Obviously being set-up for a sequel.
Good performances by all concerned.
Looking forward to round two. |
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No Country for Old Men as Metaphor for Random Death |
This is going to be kept short and sweet: No Country for Old Men is brilliant; it is geniusly well-written and directed.
The movie is a running metaphor for the unpredictability of life and death. When you understand the killer represents the Grim Reaper and that the movie is very deep and complex, then you will understand it is not a movie about money, drugs, and violence. The plot is just a metaphor for the way we die, randomly and sometimes strangely. Pay close attention to the dialogue and you will see this is true. As a full time novelist and poetess, I also write in this manner (double, triple, quadruple and more entendres), and am well familiar with the Coen brother's past works in this same vein. The film is great; see it with a mind that is ready to receive the hidden message, and you will enjoy it. If you are just looking at the overlying plot you will miss the point.
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Filling but left me unsatisfied. Kind of like eating a donut. |
I like the Coen Brother's films. Especially "Fargo" and "Mudsucker Proxy" (I forgot the exact name but I'm too lazy to look it up), and "Raising Arizona". I really was happy when the Coens won the Director Oscar but I do feel it was really for their body of work as the real technical film masterpiece (I hate that word! But I use it) was "There Will Be Blood" but that was too artsy I guess for the Academy. I'm not saying this film isn't good. It is! But it is very overrated. I was so glad that many other reviewers were honest enough to give a less than ecstatic review praising the film for its "meaning". Honestly I found just as much meaning in this film as I did in looking at T.V. static after something happened to my cable some time back (my cable is fine now). The title of the film perfectly fit with the sheriff's character (which the plot should have centered more around) but by the time the movie really answers the question about the title the film just abruptly ends.
I thought I would include a little piece I wrote earlier because it said what I overall felt:
"I agree with El Lagarto. (Not about NCFOM being the Coens worst film but about the film losing the comedic element that made the Coens films unique). I loved how in Fargo (their best movie IMO and the one they should have won Best Director for) it went from violently tense to funny then back to tense in the same scene (like the kidnapping scene). And the use of the landscape I think was just perfect for the mood. But NCFOM seemed devoid of any of that balance. It focused just on the violent intensity. I agree also that it's a well-crafted movie but the characters were lacking."
On a positive note the acting was good especially from Tommy Lee Jones and the actress who played Josh Brolin's wife. Javier Bardem is a wonderful actor but the acclaim he got for this was really overdoing it. What about praising his roles where he actually played a human being? He should have been nominated and won for "The Sea Inside" but that's a whole different story.
I would recommend "No Country for Old Men" for one watch. I mean it did win Oscars (funny how that is sometimes more of a liabilty than a guarantee for film excellence) but I can't sing its praises as others have done. Oh it's definitely not for young people as that R rating was well deserved. Some may find the violence offensive and disturbing. |
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No Country for Old Men |
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As a lifelong Texas resident, I found that the use of actual Texans (you can't find actors like this--see the movie and you'll know what I mean) in many small roles added authenticity that is rare in Hollywood. The movie's graphic violence and creepy villain (Javier Bardem, who won the Oscar for this role) make the movie difficult to watch for some viewers. It is also typical of the Cohen Brothers (Fargo, Lone Star) in that it has quirky scenes and loose ends that end up distracting from the central plot, but if you enjoy powerful performances and unusual and colorful characters, this is a must-see. |
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i don't care what anyone thinks of this movie |
this is simply the most stunning movie i've ever seen and that's saying a lot. i am not one to like gratuitous violence. however, the violence in this movie serves to show the lack of any compassion or sanity of the main "bad guy". i'm dumbfounded as to how masterful this movie is. it is a great movie full of intense suspense and a expert telling of a story among an "average" man, a very good and honest man, and a man with absolutely no humanity in him.
people who whine about the violence are sadly and scarily missing the vast amount of intelligence and thoughtfulness in this spectacular masterpiece. i thought the coens couldn't beat some of their past masterpieces, but this is fargo X 1000.
i have no more superlatives to give. i didn't expect to like this movie and thought it would be over-hyped tripe. it wasn't. let go of any closed-minded aversion to something that isn't all "perfume and roses" and watch a movie that will just change your outlook on movies. this is something special.
wow. |
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