Starring: Javier Bardem, Rodger Boyce, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant Directed By: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Miramax Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: March 11, 2008 Running Time: 122 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 21, 2007
Amazon.com: The Coen brothers make their finest thriller since Fargo with a restrained adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. Not that there aren't moments of intense violence, but No Country for Old Men is their quietest, most existential film yet. In this modern-day Western, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam vet who could use a break. One morning while hunting antelope, he spies several trucks surrounded by dead bodies (both human and canine). In examining the site, he finds a case filled with $2 million. Moss takes it with him, tells his wife (Kelly Macdonald) he's going away for awhile, and hits the road until he can determine his next move. On the way from El Paso to Mexico, he discovers he's being followed by ex-special ops agent Chigurh (an eerily calm Javier Bardem). Chigurh's weapon of choice is a cattle gun, and he uses it on everyone who gets in his way--or loses a coin toss (as far as he's concerned, bad luck is grounds for death). Just as Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a World War II vet, is on Moss's trail, Chigurh's former colleague, Wells (Woody Harrelson), is on his. For most of the movie, Moss remains one step ahead of his nemesis. Both men are clever and resourceful--except Moss has a conscience, Chigurh does not (he is, as McCarthy puts it, "a prophet of destruction"). At times, the film plays like an old horror movie, with Chigurh as its lumbering Frankenstein monster. Like the taciturn terminator, No Country for Old Men doesn't move quickly, but the tension never dissipates. This minimalist masterwork represents Joel and Ethan Coen and their entire cast, particularly Brolin and Jones, at the peak of their powers. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
NOT worthy of a Best Picture Academy Award (or any award for that matter) Fortunately, I borrowed this disc (Blu-Ray) from a friend. Many of us use that common rating system: Is it worth seeing at the theater, or wait until it comes out on disc and rent it? Thankfully I didn't pay anything to see this movie because that's what it was worth. Bottom line, don't waste your time; it's VERY unfulfilling.
I don't have any faith in the Academy Awards choosing best picture any longer. It seems that they had to give it to something, so why not this?
I generally enjoy Tommy Lee Jones's acting, but for him to portray a Texas sheriff isn't much of a stretch at all; he's practically been typecast (US Marshalls, The Fugitive, etc). He's just older and more tired in this movie.
The movie meanders along showing us senseless killings by the antagonist using a cattle gun and a shotgun with an enormous (uh, movie blunder) brushed nickel silencer (shotgun silencers are not very effective, and only cut the VERY loud noise by about 5-6 dB). The protagonists' character development never takes place, and we're supposed to sympathize with the older sheriff's bleak perspective of the country, senseless brutality, and futility of justice all from his monologue at the opening of the film and a few short scenes with friends or his wife. It doesn't happen.
Without giving anything away, the ending will probably leave you questioning: "What, that's it?" You might sit there staring blankly at the screen (as many people did after Blair Witch Project) wondering what just happened and how it could have ended that way, but thankful that it's finally over.
This movie was entirely over-rated, and is the perfect example of people thinking it's good simply because they've been told by others that it's a work of art and is good. Instead of behaving like mindless sheep, they should speak their own opinions rather than parrot the views of others and simply state: this movie was dismal. It was just plain bad. Many have said there is fine cinematography... if setting a camera up to shoot the wide Texas landscape is fine cinematography, then any idiot with a panoramic movie camera must be an incredible DP (Directory of Photography). The subject and location do NOT make fine cinematography. Lighting, focal length, aspect ratio, and filtering in addition to camera angle and movement are used to determine fine cinematography (and "mood") such as shown in The Godfather in the opening scene.
I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
Why one should not steal money from the bad guys Texas heat and a slew of shady characters ornament this movie. As main character Moss runs into mess of human and canine bodies and finds $2MM drug money during his hunting trip, we get to see the determination of the former Vietnam vet to turn the life of his family around once he has a full possesion of his money. As he tries to avoid drug dealers, former special operations soldiers and a serial killer he gets on to fight for his life as if he is back in the war fields. We track him pacing between US and Mexican border, beaten, battered and wounded attempting with all his might to preserve the money he found in order to ensure a better life for himself and his wife. Javier Bardem plays a killer who kills indiscriminately everyone on his path. He needs no other reason to kill them but the fact that people see his face or loose the coin toss bet to dispose of them. He fights by the principals that are stronger money, power or any other values we are used to. He makes his own rules. Ending is somewhat unexpected, but than again this is a Coen Brothers' movie and they have their own way of presenting reality to their audience. I expected more from this movie. Josh Brolin shines in his role of a vietnam veteran and so does Tommy Lee Jones in his role of the tired police sheriff.
Don't believe the hype, this movie sucks OK, basically this is a bad movie with good actors:
The killer in the movie (the guy you want to get killed at the very end) is an non scary mortal who just kills all the characters in the movie except for the sharif (played by Tommy Lee Jones) with this big gun. And the director makes all the killings look sad. Then to make matter's worst in the end of this movie kind of the good guy's wife is killed right after he had died for basically no reason by the killer. Then the Killer gets into a car, has an accident then pays these kids $100 not to say anything and walks off. This movie sucked and in my opinion was ruined by the killer not dieing. But I guess if you like watching non gory and non action packed sad movies then this is your types of movie
BAD GUY IS INSANE ! This is a great movie. Not what I was expecting, but still great. The bad guy is scary as hell! I do not know where they found him, but my god he delivered one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. Just the way he talks to people in the movie gave me the chills. They need to get him cast in a horror movie A.S.A.P.
Best thing the Coens have EVER done Wow. Just, . . . wow. I've long been a fan of the Coen Brothers, but this riveting treatment of Cormac McCarthy's novel is the best thing they've ever done. Josh Brolin is absolutely believable as Llewelyn Moss, a West Texas welder and Vietnam vet who's out hunting pronghorn one day and comes across a drug/money exchange gone sour. Lots of dead bodies, lots of vehicles full of shotgun holes, and a briefcase with a couple million dollars in it. He should have walked away and called the police, but he gets stupid and grabs the money, thereby becoming the target of psychopathic killer Anton Chigurh, played with evil intensity by Javier Bardem. Moss is on the run, Sheriff Bell (played perfectly by Tommy Lee Jones) is trying to find him before Chigurh does, and the bodies accumulate. Woody Harrelson is competent as Carson Wells, hired to find the money by the drug people, and Kelly Macdonald, who doesn't get enough screen time, nails the role of Moss's young wife. I know West Texas, and the cinematography is extremely evocative, especially in the early scenes. The accents are perfect -- even Macdonald's, and she's a Scot. I know some people don't like the ending -- or lack of an ending. Did Carla Jean die? Did Moss escape? What happens to Chigurh after the accident? We'll never know. That's just how life is.
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