Snippitts of Illusions

"You can't stop what's comin'. It ain't all waitin' on you. That's vanity. "

No Country for Old Men is the latest release by the Coen Brothers, a writing directing (and sibling) team that brought us such quirky movies as Oh Brother Where Art Thou? and The Big Lebowski. If you've seen those off beat comedies, and not their older fare, you'll be in for a shock. Hearkening back to films like Blood Simple, Millers Crossing, and Barton Fink, No Country for Old Men is a thriller... of sorts.
Based of the novel of the same title by Cormac McCarthy, the film- according to several sources- stays remarkably true to the book, a rarity with adaptations. And while it is a thriller and features what must be the single most shocking villain I've personally ever seen in a film, it moves beyond that.

The film tells the story of a welder, hunter and veteran named Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin), who comes across a satchel of cash left over from a drug deal gone horribly wrong. Following him is a hired assassin, tasked with getting back the satchel by the name of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Their cat and mouse game is interspersed with scenes of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who is seeing the aftermath of the murder and destruction of the game that the two are playing. It's the character of Sheriff Bell that provides the anchor in this film. He keeps the movie grounded in such a way that the violence becomes tragic, senseless and mindless. The character of Chigurh has no conscience and hardly emotes beyond confused bemusement at other people (typically those whom he is about to murder). Brolin's Moss is also lacking in the strong moral character that is found in Sheriff Bell, though is -in contrast- an essentially good individual who makes a horribly bad mistake.

The film itself is beautifully shot, mixing vast wide shots with stark close ups (several times of characters feet); it's an amazing film to watch. There is very little in the way of score for this film. While Carter Burwell is credited as Composer for this project, I'm at a loss to pick out a spot in the movie where there was music (aside from the end credits). While uncommon, this works remarkably well, and is a throwback to the Coen Brother's earlier film Blood Simple.

It's not readily apparent who is supposed to be the real protaganist of the movie till the very end. This is the films only real weakness. Because of it, it warrants further viewings, simply so you can understand the movie from the eye of character central to the picture. There's also two things to consider as you're watching the film: this movie is as much of a drama about carrying on in life despite the horrors it gives us, as it is a thriller about two men fighting over a bag of money. And sometimes endings are only satisfying after you've had time to dwell on the overall character of the film.

posted by F.G. Shaw @ 12:35 AM