mesmerising

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2008)

No Country For Old Men
No Country for Old Men is mesmerising. It pulls you in and doesn't let go. It's basically a moral cat and mouse story, about the repercussion of people's decisions and actions. The acting is top notch, Josh Brolin is an actor that has never been too memorable on-screen, that all changes here. He plays Texan everyman Llewellyn Moss. This could well be a career-changing performance for him. Javier Bardem is pure evil personified, and burns with menace. Every time he appears, you expect bad things to happen. The scene where he mercilessly picks on a gas station owner is uncomfortable brilliance. The Coen brothers script is sharp and witty, and plays so real, you always feel like you are eves-dropping on someone else's conversations, or spying on their actions, rather than hearing words said for your benefit.
" If I don't come back, tell mother I love her". " Your mother's dead, Llewelyn". " Well then I'll tell her myself".
I'm saving the best for last here, Tommy Lee Jones is just wonderful. Im shocked he didn't get nominated Best Actor for this performance, because when all is said and done, this is his film he is the leading man. He bookends the film with thought provoking narratives on the frailty of the human condition, which have been lifted straight from the pages of the novel. These are the most important pieces of dialogue in the whole film and are delivered with such pathos, heart and regret by Tommy Lee Jones' character. His is a performance of understated intensity, and he is the soul of this quite brilliant film.