It's time to call it, friendo for what it is! A cinematic masterpiece.

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2019)

Based upon, author, Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel of the same name; there is no doubt, 'No Country for Old Men' was an amazing movie. This film written and directed by the Coen Brothers was mostly entertaining from beginning into the end. However, there were some flaws. Such in the case of pacing. This Academy Award-winning best picture crime drama and neo-western really takes its sweet time, telling the story of a disillusion elderly cop, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), having to find & protect an West Texas resident Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) whom recovered stolen drug money in a drug deal gone bad, before a psychotic and sociopathic hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and the Mexican Cartels get a hold of him. Without spoiling this motion picture masterpiece, too much, while the game of cat & mouse story is a bit slow at parts, mostly in the opening & the subverted your expectations off-screen ending with Moss was a bit annoying. I still love this film. Glad, the Coen Brothers did cut out a few of the unneeded moments from the book, such as Moss picking up a hitchhiker. Nevertheless, most of the scenes, they did left, didn't felt unsatisfying & too scattered during most of the movie. The only one that was a bit bothersome was the swimming pool chat. I really don't get, why that was in the film. Nevertheless, while, the story is not that original, as there is striking similarities regarding the storyline and setting to 1973's crime thriller film 'Charley Varrick' aka 'The Last of the Independents" directed by Don Siegel & the 1968's novel 'The Looters' by author John H. Reese. One thing, the source material and film does well, is explores the human struggle toward trying to define the frameworks of code of ethics and morality, both within the perspective of the story's heroes and the villains with a minimal use of dialogue. I like how, each of the three main characters, has their own set of ideas of what that can be. Some of them, are very tired of the gruesome violent nature of humanity & struggles to find a moral center within it, to a point that they often abandon their authentic duties, due to being fearful. Others are not, like that; some function in a moral framework given to them by society, either by social norms, family or faith. However, the most chilling character in the film is the one driven by his own internal framework. His actions do not fall either, pragmatism or moral duty. That person operates outside of any sane understanding of morality and ethics, and continually raises conflicting philosophical questions to his victims often with a game of luck and chance with a coin toss. The only thing, he knows, is no matter, what people chose how to live life, death comes to us, all, either fast or slow. In his eyes, we all cattle, that one day, will be slaughter. We all, living pieces of meat. This is his mindset. No wonder, why his choice of weapon, the air powered bolt gun stronger symbolically his views. It's a powerful comparison. The actor, Bardem really did a good job, showing how unpredictable menacing such men can be, by his body language & facial expression, even if his character's haircut is a bit goofy. Glad, he still won Best Supporting Actor at that year's Oscars. As for the other performers, they were just as good, especially Tommy Lee Jones. The delivering of his character's dreams really does hold some emotional weight. It's here, we get hints what the title of the film taken from the opening line of 20th-century Irish poet William Butler Yeats' poem "Sailing to Byzantium", means, as he felt really defeated by the harsh ambiguity of this new time and mourns of the loss of the bygone era of decently, even if this ideal world might probably never even existed but has been an illusion, all along. While, this pessimistic somewhat preachy, yet violent ambiguous ending might turn off some viewer from rewatching this movie. I do have to say, the film is worth seeing, regardless. The cinematography alone is amazing. Some of the shots of the West Texas desert is beautiful to look at. Cinematographer, Roger Deakins did a hell of a job, setting up the camera & scenes. However, I wish, the movie had more of a score by composer, Carter Burwell to go with. For me, the minimized of the score leaving large sections devoid of music was a mixed bag. Some parts, the suffocating silence, kinda works like the gas station stop; in other moments, it undermined some of the gripping gory action sequences like the chase scene involving the Pitbulls. Nevertheless, overall heads or tails: the film still fire on nearly all cylinders. This is one motion picture worth checking out. It is a must watch.