Another excellent film from the Coen brothers

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2008)

"No Country for Old Men" concerns a hunter who happens upon a satchel full of drug money and soon finds himself pursued by a relentless killer tasked with retrieving it.
Although this is standard action flick material the Coen brothers do not treat the subject matter lightly. This is not a shoot-'em-up or a clichéd thriller. It is a thought-provoking crime drama that is often tense but also takes the time to make its points clear. I found that viewing the film for a second time recently allowed me to better appreciate the film's depth.
The performances here are top-notch for the most part. Javier Bardem is menacing in his Oscar-winning role as Anton Chigurh, Josh Brolin is solid as man-on-the-run Llewelyn Moss and Tommy Lee Jones is perfectly cast as weathered lawman Ed Tom Bell. There were a couple of casting choices not quite to my liking but those were in minor roles.
The direction and cinematography are excellent, as you might expect from the Coen brothers. One of the interesting touches in this film is the almost complete lack of a score. Consequently, the early scenes set in the Texas desert have an eerie sense of windswept desolation.
This may be the best film that the Coen brothers have ever produced. It lacks the inventiveness of some of their earlier films but has a depth far surpassing anything else they've done. Highly recommended, whether you're a fan of the Coen brothers or not.