No Country For Old Men

No Country for Old Men ****

Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.

Starring:
Tommy Lee Jones as Bell
Josh Brolin as Moss
Woody Harrelson as Wells
Kelly Macdonald as Carla Jean
Javiar Bardem as Chigurh

122 Minutes (Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language. )
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The last couple of years have not been very easy on the Coen Brothers. While in the early 90's they were responsible for such unusual and strange masterpieces like "The Big Lebowski" and "Barton Fink," the early 00's were filled with box office failures and fan worsts "Intolerable Cruelty" and "The Ladykillers." While I did enjoy both of those films, they still left many people scratching their heads and asking "Where have the Coen's gone?" Well, come early November when their newest film "No Country for Old Men" opens, those same questioning fans will stop creating marks in their scalps and will instead have their hands sweating as they watch this intense and extremely enjoyable story unfold before them. And luckily for me, I was able to attend a special test screening to the film, a week before the film attends the Cannes Festival, and a full six months before the film is given an actual public release. The audience seemed to enjoy it-there was a round of applause at the end even though there were no film makers present to enjoy that, and as I glanced at the surveys being filled out around me, many people were checking either the highest rating or one below it.

"No Country for Old Men" is another adapted work, but for some reason this strange and gritty chase story is almost as symbolic and haunting as something straight from the Coen's imagination. If it weren't for the words "Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy" during the end credits, I would be saying they deserve a Best Original Screenplay award. There is no real main character or hero to root for, but the story is what matters here and not the characters. At the start, good guy Moss is hunting some deer when he stumbles upon a truck with a dead man, a bunch of heroin, and a cache of money with a couple of million inside. Moss of course takes the money with him, and when he returns home to his beautiful wife Carla Jean he discovers that he is now being chased by Chigurh, a psychopath serial killer who escaped from the town's prison and who will go after Moss until he gets the money. Along for the ride is Bell, the town sheriff who is trying to locate Moss and stop him from getting killed by the bad men.

Like all good stories, "No Country for Old Men" is powerful and exciting storytelling, and an interesting comment on society. This is a thriller in the vein of the Coen's own "Blood Simple" and is a complete return to form after some good, but overall minor, works. There are intense action scenes-Chigurh does not just have a little handgun, but a giant gun that makes a lot of noise whenever it is fired. And he plays dirty-shooting through key holes is one of his favorite games. There are terrific chase scenes-one with Josh Brolin and a dog and a lake come to mind. And there is that element of humor that all dark thrillers need-and since most of this film is rather silent (the script is clearly very descriptive), most of the humor comes from either the shock of the situation or just a facial reaction that one of the characters makes. It makes interesting comments on society by describing the state of the world today-how police are becoming obsolete and the world and the youth of society is slowly forming into no good criminals. This is why I believe the main character is Tommy Lee Jones' Bell, because we have to watch him watch everything happen around him, and even though he tries to make things right it is nearly impossible. The sick mind of Chigurh is far too powerful to be caught, and even Bell accepts that the world is too messed up to fully fix it.

The acting is all right on target, with the highlights being Tommy Lee Jones and Javiar Bardem. Jones is on a streak with his "accent films," and this as his follow up to the great "Three Burials" puts him on Oscar consideration watch next year. Javiar Bardem is brilliant as the killer Chigurh. Bardem, who when is wearing no makeup is a rugged and handsome actor, always manages to cover his face up and truly become the character he is playing. After the amazing transformation to the gentle and kind soul in "The Sea Inside," it was shocking to see the evil, long haired and sweaty Chigurh that he becomes. Josh Brolin hits the right spots even though his work is mostly silent, but effective. Kelly MacDonald is super beautiful and her brief scenes were fine by me. Perhaps the only real issue with character that I had was with Woody Harrelson. It wasn't that he acting was bad, but the role was so small and insignificant that I could not find the purpose of the character.

While the Coens do a good job at setting up pace and imagery, the first thirty minutes of the film do drag a bit, and it took me a while before the film caught my full attention. And then at another point you're completely invested in the film, right up to the final bit of narration and the final image right before the screen turns back and you are upset that the journey is over. I look forward to seeing it again, and to watching the first thirty minutes more closely knowing what I know now. One complaint that I heard from the audience was about the ambiguity of some of the deaths-but that is the point. The Coens leave you thinking, and allow you to come up with a series of solutions and scenes that they left out. It does not matter how certain things happen, just as long as you understand what the world is coming too. And how everyone, no matter what character, is the same, and will ask for someones shirt whenever they have a bit of blood on them. I recommend "No Country for Old Men," and cannot wait until November so I can see it again.