A Bold No Country for Old Men

Rating: 8/10 (24 February 2008)

Starting with the film noir hit, Blood Simple, co-directors and screenwriters, Joel and Ethan Coen have had a productive output of auteur films that range from manic comedies (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona) to thoughtful crime dramas (Fargo, Millers Crossing). With their latest, No Country for Old Men, they have excelled at personal film-making that just misses the mark by not delivering a more pronounced ending. Under the trappings of a mystery and then chase thriller, this film is an exercise in movie making at its best while taking chances with conventional characters and plot. It also features splendid performances by Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem.
Set in 1980 after the Vietnam War, an aged sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), talks of a long line of lawmen in his family. One day, in the desert a welder named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes upon the remnants of a drug deal gone badly and a case of money and decides to take it. It turns out that some Mexicans are on his trail and mean business. So does a mysterious stranger, a clever, psychotic assassin, Anton (Javier Bardem). And the chase is on with Mexicans, the law, and worst of all, Anton, in pursuit. Moss sends his wife Carla to her mom's, and he hightails it to an obscure motel. Apparently a syndicate has hired Anton to get the money and dispatch anyone who gets in the way, but Anton has other ideas and begins to eliminate not just the Mexican competition, but nearly everyone connected with him! Anton's weapons of choice are a lethal air gun and the largest silencer rifle ever. He methodically hunts down Moss through detective work and a tracking device. You know that despite his resourcefulness, Moss is simply overmatched. Meanwhile, the syndicate hires another hit-man, Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) to recover the money and eliminate Anton. All the while, Bell is adding up the clues and the growing trail of bodies to form an ominous picture of what is happening and what is to become. As much as he tries to help Moss and his wife, he cannot compete with the likes of Anton. By the end, Bell contemplates retirement knowing a killer is on the loose.
Josh Brolin really makes a strong impression as the doomed Moss. His character reminds one of a younger Kris Kristofferson. Not since Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs has there been a hideously terrifying character as Bardem's hit-man, Anton. His calm, dispassionate killer is surely inspired by past movie villains as the ones in Point Blank and The Terminator. Yet, in his own strange way, Anton has his code and motivation. He even gives his potential victims a second chance based on random luck. And he is most unforgiving if he is crossed.
There are a number of well constructed scenes to enjoy including a marvelous one at a convenience store which illustrates Anton's manic state, and a moment in a Mexican hotel that is unbearably tense as Moss is cornered in his room by someone who could be Anton.
The cinematography by Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption) is quite effective as it illustrates a desolate, barren landscape in which this cat and mouse game is played out.
There are a couple problems with the films narrative, however. While it is good that the film attempts and mostly succeeds at being unique and offbeat, a few things are confusing like what really happens toward the end at a motel as Moss waits for his wife. What happens to the money? Some killings are off screen or suggested, and you have to make assumptions based on the context of a given scene.
The abrupt conclusion is a bit baffling; it won't work for most audiences, and even the most ardent cinephile may need to digest the last several minutes to make sense of it. Pay attention to the film's underlying theme. Reread the title of the film and understand that it is about the tradition of the lawmen being displaced by a new world order. Jones does a voice over at the beginning and he concludes it with a melancholy lament and recounting of a disturbing dream. If only the structure of the film could convey that more clearly, there would have been a better narrative flow to its finale. Some may call the device brilliant, but it does not work as it may have been intended. But don't let this slip deny the pleasures of a marvelous ensemble of actors and some great camera-work. It could easily be the Coen brothers' best work to date, and that is something to truly appreciate.