Set in 1980s Texas, “No Country for Old Men” clashes two of America’s greatest genres into one masterpiece of filmmaking — the western and suspense. Westerns are a personal favorite of mine but I will be the first to admit, they can be boring. However, when it’s blended with an exuberant amount of violence while many lives are on the line, it’s as good as it gets. Oh and did I mention, it’s a Coen brothers film?
The bleak adventure starts when Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a case filled with a million dollars while out hunting in the Texas dry lands. With an abundance of lifeless bodies laying around after an apparent gunfight, it becomes quite obvious to him that this won’t be a simple case of “finders keepers.”
He soon finds that the certifiably mental Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is on his trail. Once the police stumble upon the massacre in the desert, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) finds himself trying to make sense of the increasing violent behavior in the present day. Through Llewelyn’s wife Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), the Sheriff tries to attain the information needed to track him down before Anton Chigurh gets the chance.
This film is riddled with career enhancing performances, but none reach the level of Javier Bardem’s portrayal of the cool and clever homicidal maniac Anton Chigurh. His eeriness goes way beyond the screen and makes you feel uncomfortable as you watch. Not only did he deserve the Academy Award nomination he received for this role, but he won it hands down — no contest.
Josh Brolin hasn’t had much to show for in his career so far, but he is more than impressive in this film. I personally think he was a bit overlooked when the award season came around as he showed that he has the ability to be a leading man. Combined with his strong performance in “Milk,” I think we will be seeing much more of his talent in the future.
There are too many supporting roles to mention, but the most notable would be the guaranteed excellence of Tommy Lee Jones. Being a western man himself, Jones was perfect for the role, and in the slightly controversial final scene, he delivers an amazing monologue to put a cap on a classic film.
“No Country for Old Men” is a rarity in current cinema. With the restless audiences that crowd the theaters today, it’s hard to get away with a gritty western — no matter how much violence you throw in. However the Coen brothers are so immensely talented that they could make a film about paint drying and keep us wanting more. With pin-point precision writing, top-of-the-line acting and vintage Coen brothers directing, this is a film that will stand it’s ground as one of the most brilliant indie films of all time.