QUINTESSENTIAL COEN BROTHERS AT THEIR BEST!

DVDs:

	• No Country for Old Men Javier Bardem, Rodger Boyce Miramax, 2008 average customer review:based on 610 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

QUINTESSENTIAL COEN BROTHERS AT THEIR BEST!

This is the Coen Brothers' finest work. Based on the novel by Southern writer Cormac McCarthy, this is an instant American film classic that should be talked about and studied for decades to come.

The story involves Mexican drug money, a Vietnam War veteran who finds it, an elderly Sheriff who's about to retire, a bounty hunter who thinks he can beat the odds, and a psychotic killer with a cattlegun, a sociopath the like of which you haven't seen on the screen since Hannibal Lechter. Underneath its harsh realism set in a small Texas town, the film paints a mournful portrait of America in the process of change with a sadness about the passing of a more innocent time, a theme reminiscent of the films of Sam Peckinpah. The film's acting, from every lead player to the smallest character walk-on, is perfection itself, but it is the portrait of killer Anton Chigurh by Javier Bardem that should live forever in film history. The film's composition of shots and timing of its editing is the finest case study in cinematic precision since the great works of Alfred Hitchcock (for example, just watch the tension created by the crinkling of the slowly unfolding candy wrapper).

The most controversial part of the film is its last fifteen minutes, a conclusion that leaves most audiences dissatisfied, but there is something special going on here, and the Coen Brothers know what they're doing. If you invest some time thinking about it, and perhaps see the film again, you might experience a small epiphany and discover that the Coen Brothers have pulled a kind of alienation trick and refocused the film as a morality tale about the nature of evil. In that sense, the resolution can be seen as perfect. What you will be left with are many questions. But I can only tell you to see this masterpiece, one of the great films the new century has given us, and know exactly what great provocative cinematic art is all about.

for more information click here

Riveting to Rent

The slow, self-assured menace of Javier Bardem's character is riveting to watch. However, since so much of this movie depends on the tension created by Bardem's terrifying, toying deliberation, you might be a little disappointed by what seems to be some unwarranted hastening of the action in certain places. It feels as if a number of scenes were left on the cutting room floor - scenes that we want to see, that we are primed to see by the overall pacing of the movie.

For example, there is the scene that was so often used to advertise this movie - the scene in which Bardem's character engages a convenience storeowner in what we clearly perceive is a life-or-death coin toss. When Bardem mockingly calls the storeowner "Friendo" and commands him to call heads or tails, we feel that something in particular triggered Bardem's animosity, that the storeowner himself might have presumptively addressed Bardem as "Friendo." However we don't see any of what might have led to the showdown. The scene is pretty much limited to just the action shown in the advertising trailer.

If one of the reasons we watch thrillers, outside of pure vicarious enjoyment of violence, is to rehearse what we ourselves might do if confronted by extreme threats - then it's important to see the whole development of the threat.

One other quibble: the plot's logic fails on a key point. Bardem's character proves to be such an implacable, unerring juggernaut in tracking down whoever stole his drug consignment, we wonder how he so easily lost track of the drug package in the first place.

However these minor points aside, "No Country" is an absolutely engrossing trip - taken once. When I went to watch it through a second time though, I found I wasn't nearly as involved. I did appreciate having another chance to get to know Tommy Lee Jones' character, with his wonderful, heroic resign. But Bardem's Chigurh character didn't seem as interesting the second time around. Whereas I can watch other Coen Brother's classics such as "Fargo" and "Blood Simple" any number of times and always find some new fascination with them - this movie didn't seem complex enough to hold up that way.

In summary, this is a great movie to rent, but it might not be worth adding to your permanent collection.

for more information click here

Flip A Coin......

This film was a real treat and something that I wanted to watch for quite some time because I admire Javier Bardem as an actor. No Country for Old Men is a thriller that delivers brilliant levels of suspense, fear and apprehension whilst simultaneously disposing of the genre's preconceived conventions. The cinematography on show unashamedly harks back to the Coens debut Blood Simple (1983) and with their regular Cinematographer at the helm, Roger A. Deakins, it is no surprise that No Country for Old Men has been nominated for an Oscar in this category. The films score is so subtle that it aids the tension by unwittingly achieving an omnipotent silence recognizable only through an assortment of wind noises which have been superbly complemented by the bleak dialogue and dark humor.

To complement the film further it should be noted that on show here are some of the most powerful and flawless performances for some time and Tommy Lee Jones's is purely outstanding. His character embodies a demeanor of pensive sadness beautifully portrayed by the veteran actor in what is conceivably his best role to date (shocking that he has not been nominated for an Oscar, but this could be due to a lack of screen presence) it should also be noted that the final reels of the film are probably among his best ever committed to celluloid. Javier Bardem's role as the relentless and ruthless psychotic killer is astounding, his on screen presence mesmerizing and his mere appearance a pure treat along with a sense of a darkness casting over the whole room and it really makes you feel like you are in the presence of true evil. When it comes to playing a psychotic I would go so far to say that his performance has only ever been equaled by Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lector and maybe in years to come,

I would like to point out that there is little to no music in the entire film which is a plus to me. The use of silence throughout the majority of the movie is very original in the sense that the music doesn't cue the viewer how to react and when.

So again, not for everyone, but if you are a frequent movie goer and truly understand the makings of a good film, this is an excellent one to see.

I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did...it's undeniably worth your time.

for more information click here

Disturbing

People have criticized the random violence and "empty" ending of this film. I am no fan of gratuitous violence or inconclusive messages, so it surprised me that I loved this movie so much. After reading many reviews and comments on Amazon, I agreed with some of the negative points people made about the film. But they didn't change my mind.

This is because No Country for Old Men succeeds in embodying fear. Bad-guy Anton is the most frightening figure since Hannibal Lecter. Why? Because he is intelligent and on a soul-less mission to kill. Again: this alone does not make a film good - not by a long shot. Yet as opposed to other figures in murderous-rampage cinema (take Natural Born Killers, which claims to have a "message"), this character's made to look plain and ugly, and is no shining beacon of Hollywood that we secretly sympathize with because we know him from other, gentler roles. At least for the American movie scene, Bardem comes out of nowhere, and that helps make his character alien and unlikeable, and us feel uncomfortable and disturbed in his on-screen presence.

Anton and his mission, seen in the context of the film - the dawn of the drug war - brings me back to the character embodying fear. How many drug-related deaths have we seen in the States in the last decades? How many innocent people have lost their lives, or survived, by pure (or bad) luck, like the toss of a coin? Anton embodies (the fear of) this randomness. It's ugly and scary, it comes and disappears, worst of all never answering the question "why". That, to me, is the crowning achievement of the story. Putting that on the big screen is indeed amazing and is, among other reasons, why I am so floored by the film.

If you decide to see No Country for Old Men, don't do it because of the hype about the Coen brothers, the awards, or my commentary. This film means something different to everyone, and you may say it's just a waste of time. Or you may end up agreeing with me that it's a masterpiece. I'll go flip a coin now and see what you decide.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

10 Movies: Why We Know Tommy Lee Jones
Best Alpha Male Movies
Top 10 Movies of 2007
best films of 2007
Filmgasms of 2007

search for DVDs
no country for, country, men, old

Impressum / about us