No Country For Old Men (DVD)

Terrifically acted, superbly written and masterfully directed by the Coen Brothers, this is an incredibly suspenseful thriller that looks set for Oscar glory come February.

Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men stars Josh Brolin (sporting the same moustache he's had in his last four films) as Llewelyn Moss, a loser who stumbles onto the scene of a drug deal gone horribly wrong in the Texas desert. He duly makes off with the drug money, unaware that vicious killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem with a comically awful hairdo) is on his trail and will stop at nothing to get the money back.

When Moss eventually realises how much trouble he's in, he sends his wife (Kelly Macdonald) into hiding, while desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the murderous Chigurh. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) doggedly pursues both men and discovers that he may well be out of his depth.

This is a welcome return to form for the Coen Brothers after the twin disappointments of Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers. In terms of their previous films, No Country is like a stripped down version of Fargo with the idiosyncratic character-based comedy surgically removed and the suspense cranked up to eleven.

Bardem delivers a genuinely chilling performance as Chigurh (particularly when giving his unwitting victims a sporting chance to survive), while Brolin gives a terrifically noir-ish portrayal of a man trying to escape his fate and Jones is genuinely moving as the Sheriff. There's also a superb cameo by Woody Harrelson as a straight-talking bounty hunter and Kelly MacDonald adds a heart-breaking note of sweetness (and nails the Texan accent) as Moss' wife, Carla Jean.

The film is also beautifully shot by the Coens' regular cinematographer Roger Deakins and the various suspense sequences (particularly one involving a dog) are both brilliantly directed and heart-stoppingly tense.

No Country For Old Men is a gripping, powerful and ultimately devastating thriller that may well be the Coens' masterpiece. It is also, unquestionably, one of the best films of the year.

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.

thought this was a great film, the Coens' best (yes, surpassing Fargo) and the best by anyone I've seen for ages.

To be honest, I can't understand the criticism of the ending, which haunted me long after I left the cinema. It's a poetic conclusion that reminded me of Yeats' The Second Coming, in its portrayal of a fallen world stalked by evil and in which the best lack all conviction.

Suggestions that Tarantino, who had made a career from pornographic meaninglessness, or that the Coens have lost some mythical old "warmth", are merely risible. This was never meant to be one of the funny ones.

It's a serious, depressing, movie in many ways. All the quibbles seem to be on the level of plot but there's more than enough plot there. I'll avoid spoilers here - but the response of the people charged with battling evil in the face of its most implacable incarnation was where the meaning of the film was rooted, and the fact it was set in 1980 (and we're led to believe the process has just carried on since) made the reality of the message all the more sobering.

Gratuitous killing from the outset. Not enough Tommy Lee Jones, wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing & he looked too old to take on the bad guy who was unstoppable. This film had a crap ending that left you wondering what the hell the film had been about it the first place. This seems to be the way of modern films, no discernible ending. Leaves one feeling 'is that it?'
In future, i'll leave the Coen brothers films on the shelf.

what a great film. i would rate this up there with all my great films. this film is about a man who finds a bag full of money but there others out there looking for it. it keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end. another great performance from tommy lee jones. if you like films like fargo this is not to be missed. its a great film.

Stunning, just a shock to see such a film that rivets you to the seat, great acting all round, and you wanna be there all the time. Not for the faint hearted, but not too bad I must say, Seen it more than once, and will watch it again and again, one of our top ten I think to say.

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

the dogs! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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.

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.

not worth watching at all
i can't say a good point about this movie because it is just long boring and has an ven worse ending

This is a great film don't want to say too much and give the story away but its def worth watching, great actors in a great film

I hope that they make a sequel to it

I bought the film because of the many favourable reviews it got.
Those reviews indicated that the movie was great in the first half and disappointing in the second.
these reviews were spot on.

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As always I miss miss the start of good films such as this great well acted film,now it has been ordered i am looking forward to sitting back with relaxing cuppa and watch it from start to end

Ever get bored of mainstream rubbish movies that leave you feeling cold? Well, No Country for Old Men is a welcome breath of fresh air.

I actually knew very little about the film when I watched it, so its slightly bizarre storyline came as a surprise. An average Joe in the Southern States of America stumbles across the aftermath of a drugs deal that's gone wrong. He finds a large case of notes and endeavors to keep hold of the money, but is being hunted down by a stone-cold psychopathic killer.

The storyline is interesting, but the film is really brought to life by the character development. They're interesting people and you really care about their fates. The psychopathic killer is extremely well played - he's as scary as the Terminator but is a much more rounded, interesting character.

One note though - the film is pretty violent and I was surprised by the number of killings/dead bodies for a 15 rated movie. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it doesn't detract from the overall quality of the movie.

the ending lets this film down.i dont know why it won so many awards.it starts off promising but slowly gets worse.................

I bought this film mainly because of the Oscars it won, so I was expecting something special. My conclusion (after only one viewing) is that it is good, but not great. N.B. I am going to divulge the ending, so if you like to be kept in suspense, you should stop reading now.
The basics of the plot are believable, i.e. that a small-town nobody finding a large amount of money would try to keep it, and that the criminal who had lost it would try to hunt him down to retrieve it. However, some of the detail is less than credible. For example, there is a gunfight in the middle of a city street which doesn't seem to attract any attention. To me the villain didn't look that convincing. He does not look Hispanic, unlike the victims of the shoot-out (so what was the connection?), and his preferred weapon is a bit over-the-top. His hairstyle doesn't help either. I found the ending something of an anti-climax as well. The supposedly cold killer (like the "Terminator"?) is shown suffering shock and pain, but this is really not a proper come-uppance, as he is shown getting away. However, the film does hold your attention with its originality, its numerous twists and turns and its depiction of the gritty realities of life in the southern USA of the 1980's. Tommy Lee Jones does a star turn as the ineffectual law enforcement officer approaching retirement, and the standard of acting is generally high. Its suggestion that evil tends to triumph over good is also thought-provoking.

Decided to buy it cos lots of people said it was a good film,it has lots of violence in it etc, and it was very cheap

Good film. Very unusual that there is no musical score to the film! The only music is a mexican band singing in the street in one scene. Really bad ending!!! But fantastic film

If you like a couple of tough guys sorting out who is going to die
this could be the film for you! It won a number of Oscars and is well
worth a watch.There is something of the TERMINATOR-Arnie. about the
hispanic hit man as he just seems to keep on coming....and watch out for
the crazy dog he's as bad as the tough guys...

This movie was in my opinion good,tommy lee jones is excellent, but the star of the movie is javier bardem, who is so psychopathic he makes hannibal lecter look like your favourite uncle. you have to be quick to catch a lot of the southern drawl, if you like the cohens brothers films then you will like this adaptation of cormac mcarthys pulitzer prize winning book.

the dvd froze half way thru which was a bit shocking since the DVD didnt looked scratched; So i had to skip a scene. Good film first time Ive seen it =)