No Country for Old Men Review

"What's the Most You Ever Lost on a Coin Toss?"
Before you continue reading this, be informed: “No Country for Old Men” is the greatest movie that has ever been written, directed and acted. Ever. Yes, I’m looking at you Godfather fans. This may be bold, but statements like this must always be made for those worthy works. And trust me, “No Country for Old Men” is worthy.

The Coen Brothers, who wrote, directed, and produced the film, have finally outdone themselves with this work of art that tells the thrilling tale of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a 1980s Texas welder who finds $2 million in drug money in the desert and the efforts of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a hired hit man, and Ed Tom Bell ( Tommy Lee Jones), the county sheriff, to find and secure the money.

Tommy Lee Jones as Ed Tom Bell

The film opens with a monologue from Bell (Jones), as he describes a past case that ended in the execution of a teenage boy who’d killed his 14-year-old girlfriend. The substance of the passage isn’t much, but Jones delivers it with such impeccable vocal control that you can’t help but to be excited for what it is to come.

The film starts out with Moss (Brolin) coming across a drug deal gone awry, finding many dead men and dead dogs. After retrieving the money, Moss is chased for some way by two men in a truck. Moss eludes the men, and so begins the game of cat and mouse between himself and Chigurh (Bardem).



Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh

 Anton Chigurh, who is played perfectly by Bardem, stars as the antagonist of this story, a relentless and merciless killer. We meet this villain at a county police station where he garrotes the on-duty guard with his handcuffs and steals a patrol car. From then on, we see Bardem as someone who regards themselves as an “Angel of Death” of sorts. Chigurh is always there, never more than a step behind Moss. This narcissistic sociopath is regarded with awe by the other characters, simply for the fact that they are shocked so evil a man could exist.

The movie chronicles a heart-quickening story of cat and mouse. On one hand, we have the unassuming Moss, who is simply a man who happened to find a satchel full of money. On the other, we have the evil and omnipresent Chigurh, who constantly is the source of conflict in this chilling saga.

Josh Brolin portrays Llewelyn Moss

In what is most likely the greatest scene of the movie, Chigurh finds his way into a gas station. He and the clerk begin to engage in a verbal exchange that is moved along just as much by the terror hidden in the clerk’s words and movements as it is the permeating and suffocating silence of the scene (Oh yeah, there’s no sound track (But don’t think that’s bad)). Although Chigurh asks the clerk to call a coin toss, both men truly know that Chigurh is deciding whether or not to kill him. The implied stakes and the exceptional writing and timing of delivery are really what make this scene great.

This movie flawlessly employs the use of time, place, fate, choices, and chance for the viewer’s benefit, as it uses the violence of the West to subtly hide it’s true message: That everything happens for a reason. The relationship that builds between Chigurh and Moss is remarkable, as one man always knows the other is nearby. The suspense of this film is truly what makes it a sight to see.

In an era of film where trash has become the norm, “No Country for Old Men” is truly an exceptional cinematic work, and is a must see for any movie-lover. The movie asks very intelligent questions while also posing dark answers. “No Country for Old Men” shows us a startlingly real and depressing view of society, and reminds us that true resolution lies in none at all. Its four Academy Awards were justly earned, and I hope to see more from the Coen Brothers in the future.