Guess who's back?

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2008)

It must be hard being a Coen brother: knowing that no mater what you do it'll no doubt be compared to something from your ingenious, genre spanning filmography; Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O' Brother Where art Thou- the list goes on. That's no excuse for knocking-out out back-to-back let-downs that don't compare to Jaws 4, though. Alright, alright, that's a little harsh. Joel and Ethan's last 2 collaborations (Intollerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers) weren't that bad but they were found wanting in every trait and department we'd come to expect from the brothers grim: atmospheric set-ups, sublime photography, onion-like plots, cult characters, quirky humour, dark and light topics- inspired commitments to celluloid with a real sense of time and place. So what about No Country for Old Men? The Coens' perilously grave adaptation of Cormac Macarthy's acclaimed 2005 novel. Well, it doesn't so much signal a return to form as it does shove a cattle gun in your face while screaming "GUESS WHO'S BACK AND GUNNING FOR Oscars!?"
Opening with an eerie and muted montage redolent of their first film Blood Simple, The Coens' loyal spin on Macarthy's western thriller is a slow-boiling affair that unfolds in and around the Tex-Mex border. It's 1980 and after stumbling across a drug-deal gone wrong, cunning 'nam vet Lleyweln Moss (Josh Brolin) makes off with a case full-of cash and changes his life forever. But not in a good way. Apparently the money belonged to an imposing and methodical, almost ghost like killer called Anton Chigurgh (Javier Bardem) who's either Death incarnate or Satan himself. Who or whatever he is, the Devil's advocate wants his money back and absolutely will not stop until he gets to Moss. Enter Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee-Jones), a nostalgic old-timer who's haunted by the mind of the modern-day criminal but will do whatever he can to stop "the dismal tide" and get to Moss before Chigurgh.
As the bodies pile up and the plot thickens, it becomes clear that No Country for Old Men is much more than a bloody game of cat and mouse with shot guns. It is a taut and chilling meditation on contemporary crime and criminality that bitterly chews on the themes of money, morality, youth, age, fate, faith, evil and society. And it's absolutely majestic. A meticulous and suspenseful fusion of cinematic art and high- quality entertainment with layers and substance in spades. The Coens even have the nerve to pepper their morbid principle-play with bouts of jet black humour. Hell, they even toss-in an abrupt ending. The brilliant bastards.
No Country for Old Men is their most profound and important film to date. Better than Fargo. Better than Miller's Crossing. It could well be their masterpiece. A bold claim, yes, but everything just seems to come together; the look, the score, the feel, the acting: Brolin, Bardem and Tommy Lee-Jones are all excellent. Former two giving stellar, break- through turns that'll kick-down doors for their careers. Brolin is bang- on as the dry and driven Moss and Bardem's forbidding portrayal of the mop-top hunter Chigurgh is nothing short of memorable. Woody Harleson's even in there with a guardian angel-like side character but it's Lee- Jones turn as the overwhelmed Sheriff that proves to be the most important and pertinent of the pack. His opening monologue and insights into what's unfolding speak not just for the Coens' 1980's based thriller but for today's world. "A crime's so harsh these days it's hard to even take its measure" Not only does Bell represent a cleaner, pre- drug generation but also the conscience of the film. He's more of a hamstrung bystander than the cop charged with bringing an end to the evil and bloodletting. His sombre and reflective words of thought and fear book end the film in some style and leave plenty of room for interpretation. "When I got older I always thought that God would sorta come into my life. He didn't".
Through their encyclopedic knowledge and love of film along with the exemplary photography of Roger Deakins, Joel and Ethan are able to extract the prose right from the pages of Macarthy's lucid parable and paint the screen with them. The Coens' do a little more than justice to the book. No Country for Old Men is a monumental piece of American film that could clean-up at this year's Oscars. And that's saying something when you consider the competition in The Assassination of Jesse James.. and There Will be Blood. My god, what a golden period for US cinema. This awesome Coen comeback is deserving of the best director(s) gong at the least. Joel and Ethan have set the bar for 2008 with an instant- classic. Miss this at your peril.