Quirky Anti-Western Chase Film

Rating: 9/10 (9 November 2013)

Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MAN is quite simply a joy to watch, as it continually frustrates our expectations of what kind of movie it is expected to be. Set in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico itself, it is a western that isn't a western; a chase film in which bad guy Anton Chigurh (Javier Badem) pursues Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), while being himself pursued by Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). One of those chases is resolved; the other is left hanging in the air. The film builds up a fair amount of suspense, as we wonder whether Chigurh and Bell are going to get their men, yet the Coen Brothers continually combine that suspense with an eye for telling detail, or the inclusion of quirky sequences designed to show the futility of the entire quest theme. One of my favorite quirky sequences takes place in a dirty roadside motel, where the camera cuts to a sign outside saying ("HBO Available"). The whole notion of cable television in this kind of motel seems particularly incongruous. The performances are simply brilliant: Bardem doesn't have a lot to say, but communicates everything through telling glances. By contrast Brolin seems more laid back, despite the fact that he is being continually pursued. Jones goes through the motions of ensuring that justice should be done, but seems to be looking for a quiet life all the time. It is significant that the dramatic tension slackens somewhat during his sequences. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is the kind of movie that befits repeated viewings in order to uncover its subtleties. A true modern classic.