No Country For Old Men (DVD)

Great characters and a story that is well written and does not follow the same old format of others.

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I enjoyed the film the 3 main characters are superb Javier Bardem in particular is outstanding and well deserved his oscar.Some parts of the film were a tad confusing but like most Coen brothers movies this is multilayered so makes sense on the second viewing all real movie fans will enjoy it.

I bought this on the strength of the cast, especially Tommy Lee Jones. However, I was really disappointed with most of the film. It started out with promise - 2 storylines, a homicidal maniac (Anton) is arrested, then escapes (don't want to give too much away) & the aftermath of a drug deal fight with 2 million dollars missing. What was Llewelyn going to do with all that new found wealth? There were so many avenues to chose from. Of course, it wasn't long before the story veered off towards the old hitman scenario hunting down the money (armed with a cattle stun gun - different!). All that sounds fine, if you like that sort of thing, which I normally do. Yet it failed to hypnotise me for the following three reasons... 1) Tommy Lee's part promised so much as the Sheriff tracking the hitman and his victim, but that was it. The part faded into oblivion. It wasn't a case of nailing his man, it was more like the story of an ageing US cop heading for retirement. 2) Woody Harrelson played little more than a cameo role. Again, promising so much and delivering so little. 3) The end??? What was all that about? The seemingly indestructable hitman (Anton) is driving along having just murdered Llewelyn's girlfriend, Carla (again, another grey area - did he or didn't he?) when he is hit broadside by a car. He crawls from the wreckage and buys a young lad's shirt from him to make a sling with... AND THAT'S IT! It has got to be one of the worst endings I have ever seen.... why do I get the feeling there's a sequel in the pipeline?

I'd heard mixed reviews about this movie before I saw it and I have to say I think it's great. Dark and moody with beautiful shots and a strong pace. Excellently cast and played, there are some real nail biting moments. If you are a fan of Tarantino movies then this is one for you.

The Coen brothers adapt Cormac McCarthy's crime novel for the screen with breathtaking panache. Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin star
"You can't stop what's coming," mutters a grizzled old-timer towards the end of No Country For Old Men. If there's a moral to be teased out of the Coen brothers' breathtaking crime thriller that could well be it. Faced with the march of time and the senseless vicissitudes of fate, the rugged characters of this Texan western noir keep pushing against the tide. It doesn't help them achieve anything... except die a little sooner.

Stripping back Cormac McCarthy's elegiac western, the Coens have produced one of their finest films. It's reminiscent of their early neo-noir Blood Simple and their much-lauded Oscar-winning Fargo yet it has an epic sweep that puts both of these films in the shade. As it cuts between three main protagonists, it builds a mythic, sometimes operatic, picture of America's dark soul.

The ostensible hero is Llewellyn Moss (Brolin), a Vietnam vet who stumbles across the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong while hunting antelope in Texas. Snaffling a suitcase stuffed with $2 million in hard cash, Moss goes on the run. Little does he realize that the suitcase is fitted with a tracking device. Following its signal is hitman Anton Chigurh (Bardem) armed with a cattle stun gun and a menacingly calm demeanour. Pursuing them both is Sheriff Bell (Jones), a disillusioned policeman despairing of America's violent tradition.

"Portents of doom are everywhere"
Opening with Chigurh murdering a police deputy who's taken him into custody, No Country For Old Men quickly establishes its offbeat credentials. "I got it under control," the deputy boasts on the telephone before being brutally strangled by his handcuffed prisoner. Bardem, icily detached and decked out with a moptop wig, moves with the grace of a trained athlete. He is a man who lives to kill, an instrument of fate.

After the struggle, the Coens focus their camera on the scuffmarks left on the linoleum floor by the deputy's boots as he thrashed and struggled. It sets the tone: vicious violence is repeatedly accompanied by bathetic black humour. No one's laughing, though. Instead the offbeat asides add to the general sense of life's absurdity that laces this thriller.

Fate is against everyone here; nothing ever turns out as it's supposed to, nobody ever gets quite what they wanted or deserved. Chigurh taunts his (often) innocent victims with a coin toss: heads or tails to decide whether they live or die. Most of the hicks he forces into choosing don't even realise what's at stake. There is no sense of order to the universe, just random chance. Once one realizes that, the Coens suggest, even the most everyday items seem odd: a wrapper unfolding in close up on a counter, a bottle of milk left out on a coffee table. Portents of doom are everywhere.

"Re-establishes the Coens as two of American cinema's most talented directors"

Verdict
With its sly wit, dark intelligence and tense action sequences this film re-establishes the Coens as two of American cinema's most talented directors. It's also the best adaptation of McCarthy's work to date and an unmissable crime movie.

Firstly every review that has given this film below a 5 rating because of its ending or whatever is ridiculous. Let me explain to the people who are less than aware of a fantastic film. The main plot/ theme of this story is the downfall of Bell's (Tommy Lee Jones) capability and understanding of the criminalistic motives of the modern times he is presented with. If you pay attention to the beginning, he proceeds to explain how he enjoys listening to the 'old timers’ and wonders how they would deal with the situations he is presented with, due to him having no idea. The ending is abrupt i agree but absolutely brilliant. It is a metaphor for his time ending abruptly as a Sheriff. Bardem is shown walking off as Bell has failed to stop him. Bell then begins to explain how he had a dream about his father on horseback (who’s dead) This signifies his large responsibility for his failures and fear of his final judgement. It also symbolises that his time has come to retire and be replaced with someone who has a better understanding and judgement on these modern criminals motives, as he will never understand the true terror behind them.
Brilliant acting, brilliant story, brilliant film a must to see.

No film for those who like the old formula. Multiple layers, well acted but mainly because the casting works so well. A Coen Brothers classic to be. Its unusual for any film that the three main actors never appear in any scene together. Slick, menacing and stylish, set in 1980's Texas you feel the repressive heat of the desert and there are more than enough moments to make the heart race. Miss at your peril.

The story of a man trying to keep the money he found. Unfortunatley The best bad guy hard man ever wants the money back.
I loved the bad guys chosen weapon, and his philosophy.

1980. Sheriff Bell has ruled his small Texas border town for years without the use of a gun, but a new brand of reckless lawlessness has taken over his town. Llewelyn Moss is an innocent Everyman with a devoted wife, Carla Jean, but when he stumbles across a drug deal gone deadly and finds two million dollars, he's determined to keep it for himself. There's only one problem. He's being pursued by one of the most amoral, evil psychopaths that the big screen has ever seen. Wearing an absurd haircut and brandishing a pressurized weapon that's used to murder cattle, Anton Chigurh creeps forward on his mission to track Moss down and return the money to its rightful owners to save his own skin. As the tension mounts, the body count begins to rise, confirming Sheriff Bell's inability to battle this new wave of modern brutality.

Category: Thriller > General
Director: Ethan Coen
Starring: Kelly MacDonald , Stephen Root , Woody Harrelson , Tommy Lee Jones , Javier Bardem , Josh Brolin

Released 02 June 2008

Its the Coens, so automaticaly it gets a 4* rating, In parts amazing, in parts mundane, The chase scene is unbelivable but the ending is flat, obviously overrated, this film has nothing on Fargo or even Blood Simple. It was missing to many Coens regulars to be a fans fave.

I bought this on the strength of the cast, namely Tommy Lee and, former Cheers barman, Woody Harrelson, both of whom I rate highly. However, I was really disappointed with most of the film, despite liking the Texas borderlands theme. Indeed, it led with promise - what was Llewelyn going to do with all that new found wealth? There were so many avenues to chose from. Of course, it wasn't long before the story veered off towards the old hitman scenario hunting down his money, and the poor, hapless Josh Brolin. All that sounds fine, if you like that sort of thing, which I normally do. Yet it failed to hypnotise me for the following three reasons... 1) Tommy Lee's part promised so much as the Sheriff tracking the hitman and his victim, but that was it. The part faded into oblivion, with nothing to sink your teeth into. It wasn't a case of nailing his man, it was more like the story of an ageing US cop heading for retirement. 2) Woody Harrelson played little more than a cameo role. Again, promising so much and delivering so little. 3) The end??? What was all that about? The seemingly indestructable hitman, Anton, is driving along having just murdered Llewelyn's girlfriend, Carla (again, another grey area - did he or didn't he?) when he is hit broadside by a car. He proceeds to crawl from the wreckage and buys a young lad's shirt from him to make a sling with... then the screen goes black, the credits role, AND THAT'S IT! It has got to be one of the worst endings I have ever seen. It has more loose ends than Bruce Forsyth's wig... why do I get the feeling there's a sequel in the pipeline?

No Country for Old Men is a noir thriller set in West Texas, telling the blood-soaked tale of a man on the run with a suitcase full of money being pursued by a number of individuals.