"No Country for Old Men"
There are stories that shouldn’t have a happy ending. A nice bow at the end would ruin it. Don’t expect that bow in this Coen brothers masterpiece.
Alfred Hitchcock’s men were heroes who stumble upon an unfortunate situation and find ways to get out it. Most of these are entertaining and suspenseful like James Stewart in Vertigo or Cary Grant in North By Northwest. Instead of investigators and ad executives, “No Country” takes these elements and pieces them together in real characters, both compassionate and believable.
Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh is the walking, breathing Keyser Soze that is spun in spook stories and Tommy Lee Jones’ Sheriff Bell is a relic of past enforcers.
It’s not a pretty film, and it shouldn’t be. You should even feel clean after watching it.
Is this the best of the Coens? This one lacks their usual cast of players (Goodman, Hunter, Turturro, Buscemi, Stormare). No, I believe their best work is Blood Simple.
permalink | | film | 11/30/2007
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I like to think I know a thing or two about good movies, so it’s surprising to me that I’ve not seen more than just one Coen Brothers film (Fargo). Maybe I’ll see this one since I love Javier Bardem.
352 days ago | permalink
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