NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Direction: Joel and Ethan Coen
Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen; from Cormac McCarthy’s novel
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root
Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men (Richard Foreman / Miramax Films)
Synopsis:
West Texas, 1980: A hunter (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon numerous dead bodies, a stash of heroin, and $2 million in cash lying about in the region’s arid wasteland near the Rio Grande. He takes the money and runs, but is followed by a cold-blooded killer (Javier Bardem). All the while, the aging local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to find both the hunter and the killer.
The Pros:
- Javier Bardem as the pathological killer Anton Chigurh. Although at first it may seem like Bardem has little to do — his enigmatic, humorless character basically has one expression throughout the whole film — it isn’t all that easy to be hair-raisingly creepy, especially when your character’s hairdo looks like one poorly washed cowlick.
- Joel and Ethan Coen‘s decision not to explain away Chigurh’s motivations or background. Is Chigurh after the money? Or is the money merely a pretext for him to satisfy his murderous instincts? How did he become that blood-thirsty? Was it because he was forced to watch Frank Capra‘s It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas while growing up? Or was he abused by an alcoholic father? We don’t know and that’s good. The mystery adds both to Chigurh’s otherworldly menace and to Bardem’s cryptic performance. (According to the DVD’s "Making Of" featurette, in his novel — which I haven’t read — author Comarc McCarthy doesn’t dwell on Chigurh’s past, either, basically describing him as someone lacking a sense of humor.)
- Tommy Lee Jones has some good moments, though I found his folksy sheriff considerably less sympathetic than he was supposed to be. Best of all is Jones’ last scene: the camera is on him as he describes a couple of dreams he had. Peace may be unattainable on this planet, but perhaps there’s hope in the afterlife.
- Despite all the talk in No Country for Old Men about the world changing for the worse and the corrupting confluence of money and drugs, the Coens (and perhaps McCarthy as well) make sure we understand that human evil and horrific acts of violence are hardly "new," as an older man reminds the befuddled sheriff later in the film.
- There’s no tidy, feel-good wrap-up. Evil remains out there in the world.
More information about: Cormac McCarthy, film reviews, Javier Bardem, Joel and Ethan Coen, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men, Oscar 2007, Oscar movies, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson
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This is definitely a very cool action cowboy story to watch. It reminded me of Kansas City – where cowboys wear cool leather boots & nice hats as they smoke cigars in small towns. Thank you for sharing such an interesting and informative article. – Manila