Ambitious yet Haunting

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2008)

Immediately after the last scene, my friend called up--and I almost jumped out of my seat. I struggled to listen to what she was saying, but I couldn't take my mind off the strange ending of the latest offering from the guys who gave us the contemporary classic Fargo, the Coen brothers. My friend warned me about the UP Fair--and in my mind, I was still speechless about the turn-out of the thrilling cat-and-mouse chase of the hunter and the psycho in the film. And the lame yet excusable sheriff. Then, inexplicably, the phone conversation I was struggling to keep was disconnected. I thought of calling my friend back, but I have to pause... and digest what the film No Country For Old Men just did to me.
The story is deliriously simple: (Spoilers alert!) Guy A, a hunter, discovers money from a drug-trafficking/ambush scene where people are dead or mostly goners; Guy B, a murderer, looks for the money and hunts down Guy A; Guy C, a sheriff, hunts down Guy B; Guy A gets away from Guy B but is unwittingly murdered by the latter's companions; Guy B gets the money and kills everyone who stops him; suddenly, Guy B had an accident but is able to escape; Guy C, the poor sheriff, fails in his mission, tells us about his 2 dreams and ends by saying he woke up.
And together, let's say: What?! That's it?!
It has been more than an hour, and still I am with my second nightly bottle while I could not just contain my thoughts about the film. I'll focus on four things.
First, the acting is the first thing that tattoos upon the audience's conscious mind while and after watching the film. Particularly, Javier Bardem's performance will live on for decades to come. His character will definitely earn its rightful place among the most evil and frightening villain ever seen on film. There was not a scene in the film where his presence will leave you comfortable in your seat. When he speaks, you struggle to listen while holding your breath, afraid that you will be one of his victims if you misunderstand a word he is saying. When he doesn't speak, he reminds you of that black hooded figure with a sickle.
Next, the use, or rather, the absence of musical score or background is employed masterly, creating an aura of haunting silence while the tension reaches its boiling point and the members of the audience are at the edge of their seats while struggling not to have a heart attack.
Thirdly, more of technical stuff: the editing is so succinct that a second viewing of the film is necessary if one has a short attention span and is not keen on details. And to be honest, I had to rewind and go back at some certain parts of the films to see what I missed. But other than that, the composition of the pictures are brilliant. And breathtaking--and that can be taken literally, too.
The last and the most important aspect of the film is its uncompromising mode--the utter sophistication and the bitter pessimistic take on the fate of man--how our chances stand against the unexplainable evil forces in real life. The film poses to us one of the perennial challenges of man on surviving on earth: how do we survive knowing that human malevolence, wickedness, and immorality are fundamentally present and overwhelmingly unpredictable and immutable?
Combine this with the dark humor and ambitious yet haunting style that only the Coen brothers can deliver, this film is an instant classic.