stunningly mediocre

Rating: 6/10 (14 April 2008)

The hype around this movie was intense. After all, it beat out 'There Will be Blood' for a host of awards. And it's not at all a bad movie. But it's not all that different from a host of other action movies that came out this year. It's amazingly normal. One of the least compelling of Cormac McCarthy's works, practically written to be a simple action movie, and (despite all the talk about 'gratuitous violence') much more tame than most action movies I've seen over the last few years. I in no way wish to suggest that this wasn't an enjoyable movie, but it simply wasn't anything remarkable. Tommy Lee Jones manages a few quite funny lines, and far outshines anyone (including Javer Bardem) in this film. But the last bit of the film, in which Jones plays the protagonist, seems the weakest part of the film. As someone who watches lots of art films as well as action films, seeing someone make a pretty good action movie and then try to resolve it all with an art-house 'ambiguity' plot is disappointing. The Coen brothers did a much better job with violence, suspense, and historic America in 'Miller's Crossing', which was a far superior film to 'No Country for Old Men'.
To enjoy this movie, lower your expectations. It's not as wonderful as everyone says, but not half-bad. If you're expecting something great, you'll be let down. If you're expecting 'Fargo', you'll be pleasantly surprised.