The Coen Brothers craft a masterpiece with the help of a terrifying Javier Bardem.

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2007)

Here we have 'No Country for Old Men', a perfectly assembled drama that has Coen Brothers written all over it, yet at the same time retaining the spirit of the novel. Joel and Ethan Coen weave the stories of three men together with seamless ease and expert touch. Gripping photography and 3 outstanding performances take 'No Country' to the upper echelon of all time films and the top spot for 2007.
Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is hunting one day in the western outback, only to stumble upon a massive stash of drugs, more dead bodies than he'd know what to do with, and most importantly, $2,000,000. Little does he know, ruthless and psychotic killer Anton Chigurh(Javier Bardem) is following his tracks.
I still cannot get over the incredible performance of Javier Bardem, who gives the truly scariest performance I have ever seen. It'll be a travesty if he is not at least nominated for an Oscar. He embodies the very idea of evil and soulless, taking on a character who has almost eery similarities to the Holy Ghost. It is an iconic villain. Most villains you can watch and almost root for, but this is a performance so utterly scary that he will make you move back into your seat, almost wanting to run away. It's kind of ironic that he bases his kill decisions on a coin flip, when Tommy Lee Jones, who played Batman nemesis Two Face (who did the same thing), is also in the film. Jones is also terrific, though not as prolific as Bardem (no one this year has been). Jones has a great character...a truly good man dedicated to doing the right thing, yet he is tired. This role really allows Jones to stretch a different acting muscle, and it's one of the best performances of his career. The true surprises of the film are the lesser knowns Josh Brolin and Kelly Macdonald. Brolin's character didn't seem very deep at first, but Brolin (he has the most screen time) takes it and turns Moss into a very likable and admirable hero. Great performance...he should get some votes come Oscar season. Kelly Macdonald...where did her Scottish accent go? She swaps it for a southern accent here and it totally works. The true depth of her performance really isn't realized until the end (whereas with Bardem, he terrifies you the minute you see him).
The Coen Brothers have made a wonderful film that deserves to go down as one of the best of all time. The shots are real, the scenery is brilliant. The atmosphere created by these remarkable brothers is great. They even manage to insert some comedy into the film in the denouement. Woody Harrelson's character does most of the work. They are taking film-making to a whole new level with 'No Country for Old Men'. You should see this film as soon as you can.