Simply Chilling

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2008)

The latest outing by the Coen Brothers is a chilling mix of horror, film noir, thriller, western, and yes even comedy, (Tommy Lee is always a stitch) but still remaining true to the twisted vision of the very entertaining work of these rather unorthodox artists.
No Country For Old Men is somewhat reminiscent of Blood Simple, their first outing, but infinitely more bloody. When I first viewed it in the theater, quite frankly I was NOT well for the ending. Absolutely no loose ends were tied up. A subsequent viewing helped me realize it was for the best. Each viewer will have to decide exactly how it ended and from what I understand the movie ending was not like the novel ending.
When the interpretation of a work is totally up to the viewer, that, of course, always makes for a more compelling artistic presentation simply because the art does not do your thinking for you: this one is no different.
Hands down, the most chilling aspect of this was the performance of Javier Bardem and his Oscar was indeed well-deserved. He was so calm he was very, very frightening. You did not (or more aptly, COULD not) invest anything into him emotionally. This was indeed deliberate. There was no need to, actually to adequately present the story. Even Llewellen (Josh Brolin's character) you felt something for, and Tommy Lee Jones, who, regardless of the character, ALWAYS manages to make you care about him, was probably the most fleshed-out character.
Actually the movie was not as slow as one is led to believe...it is most deliberate and since the Brothers get right to the point at the very beginning, you are indeed intensely involved with how this will play itself out.
If you are a Coen Brothers fan, you will certainly appreciate it. If not, it is quite a decent movie.