Will the Coens ever fail?

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 2009)

Moss (Brolin) finds $2 million at a crime scene and takes off, sending his wife away, unaware that a man is following his every move.
Whether it's the Dude Lebowski or dim trainer Chad, the Coens seem to create memorable characters and stories with apparent ease, whatever genre they tackle.
This adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel tells almost a silent tale of a man running away with a heap load of cash from an unbelievable loony with a bizarre weapon. The slowest of openings the Coens have ever created again surprises and the lack of dialogue is more of a tale in the grand scheme of the picture. The sweeping shots of the west are vintage Coens and once again, die hard fans of the brother's will be surprised by their artistic direction and significantly their depiction of crime story telling.
Javier Bardem's stalker is a cruel and articulate approach to a psycho, if you can call his character that. His Oscar winning turn as Chigurh is memorably haunting. He has the look, and the cold hearted attitude towards life is exceptionally freaky. Though the coin tossing element is too much Two Face, the darkness behind his character feels strongly realistic and is the stand out protagonist of the film.
The narrative is consistent. Having never read the book I feel compelled to do so after being engrossed into a silent but underlining quick story that is always sharp and consistently intriguing on a number of levels. Though consistent I was completely lost come the ending but no doubt re-watching the film will be a joy and there is something to work out come the climax.
There are twists and turns all the way from start to finish and what I personally like about the Coens is their courage. They are never afraid to hold anything back and write whatever they want, which usually makes their films unconventional, exciting and diverse, an important element in today's modern trend of ordinary releases. This is different from any conventional taking off with money and finding it kind of film.
Perhaps not as interesting and sharp as the Big Lebowski or Burn after Reading, No Country still has that element to shock and surprise.
No Country for Old Men is a silent crime western that will engross anyone with its sharp but silent story that is both shocking and entertaining.