Haunting investigation of humanity

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2008)

No Country for Old Men is the Coen brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel. It is a modern western about a man named Llewelyn Moss, who finds a suitcase full of two million dollars after stumbling onto the scene of a drug deal that resulted in the death of all but one thirsty man (who dies shortly after). Taking the money for himself, Moss is then chased by the Mexicans and private hit men (primarily Anton Chigurh) as he flees across the state. The story consists of many intriguing plot twists. It largely deals with dark themes and disturbing psychology.
The acting is great across the board. The most memorable character is Anton Chigurh, the main hit man that chases Moss. He is clearly psychopathic, but nobody is able to stop him from doing his job. A close second is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, played by Tommy Lee Jones. He is a complete opposite of Chigurh. An aged veteran sheriff, he agonizes over the fact that he is unable to bring justice to the community, due to the fact that the criminals are much more adept (due to changing times).
The film creates an atmosphere that, during several moments, ranks among the greatest movies. The suspense centering around the inevitable encounters is reminiscent of the Godfather, but takes on a whole level because of the obvious mental derangement that is involved. An interesting feature is that the real plot ends about 80% through the film. After that, it feels like a free fall where the characters have no goal. And it ends suddenly, with several loose ends. But the beauty is that it is exactly what the film is about, adequately summed up by Sheriff Bell's decision about retirement at the end.
No Country for Old Men is among the best films of 2007. Although it will first need to face the test of time to see how it ranks among the all time greats, it certainly carries a lot of potential to secure a spot in history. Even if your hesitant about the genre or subject material, I recommend you watch this movie.