It took some time to ponder

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2008)

Due to the lateness of this comment, and due to the fact the movie will likely soon be out of theater's and on the DVD shelves I fear this review will be seldom read. I saw the film opening day, then three more times during its run at the box office and only now do I feel apt to give it the praise it deserves.
I would go so far to venture that this is a perfect film, this is the only time that I have said this, and might be the only time I ever will. This film is crafted beautifully in all aspects of the film-making process from the opening shots to the ending monologue. Some have said that this is the Coen's best film since "Fargo", I would say "Fargo" was training for this film. "No Country" has a far more pessimistic view of the world, and is secular in more ways than one. The film resonates with a feeling of controlled chaos, in the end I feel it's because the film is ABOUT chaos.
"No Country" boasts some of the most intense, gut wrenching scenes ever crafted and its built out of specificity. The simple creaking of floor boards, the sound of a light bulb being unscrewed, the movement of a crumpled candy wrapped unfolding all add to this world that the Coen's, with the help of Roger Deakins' flawless photography were able to build from top to bottom.
The most prominent criticism I hear from my peers in film school, or from the general public comes from the confusing ending. I feel obligated to address this because I truly believe that the ending is what made this movie what it was. What ultimately made me fall in love with this film was the fearlessness in the story telling and the clarity of mind which allowed Joel and Ethan to see deeper into the world than the rest of us choose to, or want to see. In the end, the film is about chaos, the antagonist is fate, age, and finally circumstance. Thus I believe it to be a misinterpretation to say the ending came out of left field, or was simply erroneous to the plot, because I believe the real plot lies beneath the obvious one.
It is a film about the way humanity deals and copes with an ever changing world that may eat us whole or simply leave us behind. Its a pondering with little commentary, its existentialism in its truest form. It questions without fear, and bravely leaves the audience to question.