Get Blown Away with No Country for Old Men

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2008)

Violent, clever, gritty, brilliant, intense and genius: these are all words that can be used to describe Joel and Ethan Cohen's latest movie No Country for Old Men. The film is based around Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) and Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) as their fates are intertwined by the events that unfold. Llewelyn finds a satchel filled with $2 million from a drug deal that went horribly wrong. The problem is that Anton, a cold-blooded killer, is on the hunt for the money. The film follows Llewelyn as he attempts to stay one step ahead of Anton and his attempts to reclaim the money.
The Cohen Brothers do an outstanding job of capturing the chaotic events that take place within the film. They use dialogue sparingly, which causes the conversations to be that much more effective. Every exchange is memorable and remarkable.
Javier Bardem won a golden globe for best supporting actor for his role as Anton Chigurh, and he deserved it. There was not a moment in the film in which he was not Anton Chigurh, the psychotic mass murder. Some of the ways in which Anton off's his enemies are horribly disturbing, yet immaculately clever. Anton is a man on a mission to get the 2 million dollars back, and nothing will get in his way.
The Cohen Brothers pull off another great movie to go with their stellar catalog that already includes O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, Fargo and Raising Arizona. The movie pulls together a great cast including Javier Bardem (Collateral), Josh Brolin (Grindhouse: Planet Terror), Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black), Woody Harrelson (North Country), and Kelly Macdonald (Nanny McPhee). No Country for Old Men has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, tied for the most this year with There Will Be Blood. The nominations include best picture of the year, best achievement in direction, best supporting actor (Javier Bardem), and best screen play.
Ninety percent of the movie is excellent; however, the end is confusing. If you are going to watch this movie, watch it at least twice before you make a final judgment on it!