One of the Top Ten Films of 2007

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2009)

2007 was a high quality year. Three of my favorite films of all time came out of that year. Zodiac, a gripping tale of murder and obsession. The Assassination of Jesse James, an emotionally psychoanalytical film about Jesse James and his relationship with Robert Ford. And this, No Country For Old Men.
No Country For Old Men is the tale of a drug deal gone wrong and the violence that follows. The film follows three characters, Llewlynn Moss (Josh Broline) who is the hunter that finds the drug money and the bodies, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who is one of many bounty hunters hired to retrieve the money and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who tries to find Moss before Chigurh does. The film is very violent but is a fantastic, character and action driven film by Joel and Ethan Cohen. The film is based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.
The film is a modern western. It features amazing performances by the three main actors, especially Javier Bardem (who is the best part of the film). Javier Bardem's sociopath Anton Chigurh is most definitely one of the most chilling characters to ever enter the crime genre, he is better than Hannibal Lecter.
No Country For Old Men is basically a tale of cause and effect. The actions of the Moss character set off a chain reaction of violence. The film has cliffhanger ending which might disappoint most viewers, but it didn't bother me. The ending (which I will not spoil) has a meaning which I have yet to find. The whole film includes multiple situations of symbolism.
All and all, No Country For Old Men is one of the best films to come out of the year 2007. Great performances and direction, as well as a nicely paced story. Watch it again and again to fully appreciate it.
10/10