One of the best films I have ever seen

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2012)

No Country for Old Men is one those rare films that I not only never tire of watching, but actually seems to improve with each viewing. I have found that some people have not taken the time to see it simply because of the violent content. What a great shame and pity that they would miss out on and deny themselves a truly marvelous viewing experience. I don't recall people staying away from The Godfather because of the violence. To me it is not the violence but the sense of menace and dread that makes No Country for Old Men such a tension-filled nail biter and a truly edge-of-your-seat film. Everyone I have talked to who has actually seen it used the words " very tense" and "it kept me on the edge-of-my-seat". Javier Bardem's "Anton Chigurh" is the greatest screen villain since "Hannibal Lecter". Tommy Lee Jones played a very understated character in "Sheriff Ed Tom Bell", who is the conscience of the film. Josh Brolin was also excellent and vastly underrated as "Llewelyn Moss", the hunter who unwittingly becomes the hunted. The lovely Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald is also great in an all-too-small role as "Carla Jean Moss" ("Llewelyn"'s wife). She does a flawless West Texas accent. Woody Harrelson is also superb as the somewhat mysterious "Carson Wells", who we never really learn a lot about. Gene Jones is so superb and so memorable as a country store proprietor in a truly unforgettable scene. The Coen Brothers did a splendid job of adapting the book to the big-screen and their casting of even the smallest roles was flawless. I would not recommend reading the book by Cormac McCarthy before watching the film, as it would spoil some of the film's surprises. However I found that the book did clear up some of the things that the film did not explain in full detail. A great film based on a great book. It has fast become one of my favorites and I always recommend it to everyone I know who hasn't seen it. And the film's Oscar-winning cinematography by Roger Deakins makes it well-worth getting the Blu-Ray version and watching it on a big screen. The harsh and inhospitable West Texas landscape makes for a stunning background. No Country for Old Men may not be a perfect film but it comes as close as any I have ever seen in my nearly 53-years.