Not Your Typical 'Best Picture'

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2008)

Hailed by thousands as an instant classic, and also hailed as a disaster by thousands more. It has been a while since a real 'artsy' type movie has been so successful at the Academy Awards, but this one is definitely deserving of all its glory.
The film's central theme is not only a changing world, but the fact that the people who kept the world in order once before have seen their day and it has truly become 'No Country for Old Men'. With Tommy Lee Jones' opening and closing monologues, he beautifully exemplifies the point the story tries to make. It isn't easy to see, i assure you, which is why this isn't really a film for everyone. But deep meaning aside, the film also illustrates excellent use of suspense, character interaction, and amazing direction.
It has been said that a single emotion can be the drive behind a story, and the emotion that really gets you while watching this film is fear. The Coen brothers brilliantly used fear to shape Javier Bardem's character as the 'psychopathic killer'. When he comes on the screen you get a sense of a dark shadow casting over the whole room and it really makes you feel like you are in the presence of true evil.
I would like to point out that there is little to no music in the entire film. The use of silence throughout the majority of the movie is very original in the sense that the music doesn't cue the viewer how to react and when.
So again, not for everyone, but if you are a frequent movie goer and truly understand the makings of a good film, this is an excellent one to see.
I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did...it is definitely worth your time.