Best Movie of 2007

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2007)

2007 was a good year and offers many excellent films; domestic and international but among them all, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, is perhaps the best of the best. (Yes, I have seen THERE WILL BE BLOOD and loved it but due to this film having 10s in all categories, think it best).
Others have already commented in great detail about the storyline so will not address other than to say it was stellar and delivered some of the most memorable one-liners of a single movie that I can easily recall. Though I will say for those who had a problem with the ending, consider seeing it again.
QUESTIONABLE ENDING: The ending was brilliant. We all want to think good guys will triumph and we'll finally know more about the sociopath killers and there will be an end will be in sight but (regrettably) the older we get, the more we come to realize there is likely not going to be an end to maniacal killings, not back when, now or in the future. "Whatever is coming is coming" as the old man says later in the movie. It is a ghost that continues to appear time and time again despite modern technology or know how. Though we've grown accustomed to our Westerns showing the good guys winning we see a realistic, mature and modern Western through the eyes of realism an older experienced lawman who now perhaps recognizes in a dream that a father is preparing the way for him. Think about it. Coen Brothers are brilliant.
SANS MUSIC: No music risky? Yes and oh what a good choice. The screenwriter is so gifted; that combined with impeccable direction, grade A actors,and camera/sound work makes the choice to forgo not only purposeful but actually intensifies the suspense.
Too, one can argue that there was a natural chorus of background sounds, i.e. the wind rustling, car on gravel road, boots on pavement, gravel, the sounds that seem to echo loudly especially in tense moments. While music can be crucial to building dramatic tension it can also detract.
From the very beginning we are purposefully placed, frame by frame, within the film along with the characters; we see and hear what they see and hear. Immediately we - through the passport of our senses, see and hear where we are - vast Texas country flatlands. Instead of a beautiful score to match the panoramic view we hear the beauty of a mature, older man's telling or overview of his experience and we begin to prepare ourselves for what "might be coming".
We hear the sounds of that vastness of country road and see a cop placing a man (only a side-view of Bardem) in handcuffs in backseat of car, then in jail house seated behind him. The camera allows us to focus on conversation of the good-looking deputy in foreground and prisoner in the background with a first look at his face though not clearly the focal point. Then, within seconds we see his advancement, hear and see (from above) the look and sounds of a maniacal first and then second killing.
Then shift to another countryside scene and are behind the gun focus of hunter, Josh Brolin's character, Llewelyn, who is taking aim of a deer. All we hear and see is what he hears. Wind rustling, natural sounds. He's quiet and focused. We're quiet and focused and then, BANG! No music is needed, the action, the natural noise places us squarely where the director wants us, suspensefully riding shotgun throughout the entire movie. And, it works!
CAST: Stellar cast. You know it's stellar when you can't make up your mind which star shines brightest. They all do. Perhaps one of my favs was the character with so little lines, Kelly MacDonald who plays Llewelyn's wife. First, she does a killer southern accent and second, her character is completely believable and you want to see her even more. Each times she's on screen is meaningful and memorable, especially the last scene.
Brolin is also entirely believable as a Texan whose Nam experience (we learn latter) prepares him for absolutely any encounter. His performance deserves nomination for best actor category. The Texas mindset, dry wit, economy of words juxtaposed to swift and decisive actions have never delivered more authentically than they do in this screenplay. Brolin, Lee et-al get it and deliver.
Javier Bardem in the opening scene tells us with no words, only his action and body movements what evil looks like. He is ruthless, calculating and crazed. He's the kind of character that engenders immediate fright and respect for his "principles" as Harrelson describes later. We learn all of this within ONE singular frame shot (from above) in the jail cell when he is strangling the deputy. It is that camera work and focus on Bardem's facial expression (no words and no music) that says it all. This is brilliant direction and acting perfection. He also deserves nomination for best actor and is phenomenal, period!
Tommy Lee Jones delivers a perfect performance. I am always in awe of his ability to develop his character. He can take any role, lead or character, and make you wait with baited breath for his return to the screen. The sheriff is perhaps my favorite character in this movie. Again, the screenwriter really understands Texan mindsets and motivations. TLJones understands it and what he does with the lines and the silence in between the lines is what translates into a winning performance and movie.
CREW: Camera (incredible),Sound (especially), sets, folio, editing, costumes, etc. all impeccable and a real blend of talent.
See this movie and see it again. There's so much that makes it great. It's a winner now and will no doubt become a classic. Well done!