Another Triumph for Coen Brothers

Rating: 9/10 (25 May 2008)

In a year of well-reviewed films, each of which fell short in some respects, "No Country for Old Men" deserved the Oscar mostly because of the quirky vision that is characteristic of all films by Joel and Ethan Coen. It is not a great film, merely better than the competition -- and Javier Bardem makes for a really scary villain who kills for pleasure as well as for professional reasons. Tommy Lee Jones, a tired lawman, Josh Brolin as a hunter who stumbles across a failed drug deal and takes away $2 million in cash, and Woody Harrelson as a cool private operator on Bardem's trail all do their jobs well but if you have nightmares they will be filled by Bardem's character. For my money, Bardem's performance was superior to Daniel Day-Lewis' overrated acting in "There Will Be Blood." 2007 was not the banner film year that many critics claimed it was and "No Country for Old Men" is not a great film, merely another triumph for the Coen Brothers, who are possibly the most interesting scriptwriters and directors in the business on this side of the Atlantic.