moral conundrums

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2008)

In Spring 2005, I took an ethics class in college. The teacher would begin every class by asking if any of the students could present a moral conundrum. That means a situation that that would seemingly be immoral no matter which way you go.
Well, had anyone in the class seen Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men", then the class would have had much to discuss. Granted, I expect from the Coens something as far from sugar-coated as you can get, but not even that can prepare you for what lies in store here.
The movie begins with narration by a man identifying himself as a third-generation lawman. We soon meet Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a Vietnam Vet. A welder by profession, he seems like your typical trailer trash. But while hunting one day, Moss comes across what appears to be result of a violent incident. He steals from a truck a suitcase containing $2.4 million in cash. But what Moss doesn't know is that another person wants this money. That person is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a heartless psychopath with a captive bolt pistol as a weapon. Chigurh has already escaped arrest by strangling a sheriff's deputy. Meanwhile, sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is investigating the whole thing, in pursuit of both men.
The focus shifts from person to person, so that we understand every man's motives. Bell will retire soon, and so he wants his final case to come out good. Moss remains the central focus throughout most of the film: we see his conscience eat at him (prompting him to bring water to the Mexican in scene of the shootout), and his subsequent desperation to avoid trouble. And even though Chigurh is a nasty sociopath - Evil Incarnate, if you will - he's merely doing what he can do to stay alive in this perpetually violent world.
Among the other characters are Llewelyn's wife Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), who still supports her husband suspicion about his actions; Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson), a bounty hunter hired to look for Chigurh; Ed Tom's wife Loretta (Tess Harper), who does what she can to support him; Ed Tom's uncle ex-cop Ellis (Barry Corbin, who played the general in "WarGames"); and Carla Jean's mother Agnes (Beth Grant).
I thought that this was a very good movie. I didn't see enough movies last year to determine whether it was the best one, but I would say that it deserved Best Picture. Pulling no punches in what it shows, it also makes the audience question whether or not we can truly know who is "good" or "bad", as these are all multi-dimensional characters. And regardless of good or bad, the events portrayed are mostly results of happenstance, so it's not really anyone's fault. Equally as good as the acting is the cinematography. Set in the middle of nowhere in Texas, the camera-work shows a landscape bereft of practically anything, just as most of the characters' lives have been (as far as we can tell).
All in all, the Coen Brothers once again are not at all afraid to show what needs to get shown to make a great movie, no matter how unpleasant it is. Definitely one that I recommend. As Javier Bardem said when he accepted his Oscar: "Esto es para ti, Espana!"