Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Style

Grade: A

No other film this year is more somber, cold, and morally objectionable then Joel and Ethan Coens' "No Country for Old Men." The Coens' latest opus is adapted from Cormac McCarthy's book. The Coen Brothers' interpretation of the novel is an almost exact literate reflection of McCarthy's hard, unflinching vision of 80s West Texas. The vast and hot desert is as unsympathetic as the criminals who dwell in it. The Coens' genius speaks for itself as they rehash McCarthy's Western vision into vintage Coen filmmaking: a film-noir classic that reminds us of how great movies can be.
The story chronicles welder and ex-Vietnam veteran Lewylen Moss, played by Josh Brolin, who uncovers a satchel full of money surrounded by shot-up SUVs and dead Mexicans while he is hunting for antelopes. Having a young wife and trailer to come home to, he takes the money. Soon he is tracked down by an assortment of criminals, including a psychotic expert killer, Anton Chigurh, played menacingly by Javier Bardem.
The film embodies an eerie, if not unsettling, portrayal of evil, as this ruthless assassin rids whoever crosses his path with no remorse or sympathy. He finds truth in the fact that if you cross his path, you are meant to be killed. The only thing that may save you is a coin toss, but you would have to be lucky for him to be that gracious. The killer carries a cattle gun, which is a device that shoots compressed air out of a hose. He uses this device on his victims and impales locks out of doors and on people too. In one scene, posing as a police office, and wielding the gun on his side, he politely asks a man to get out of his car. He prods the hose to the man's forehead killing him instantly. He did not want to foray the vehicle with blood.
Tommy Lee Jones gives the film a much needed reprieve from the violence and carnage as he plays the wise and melancholy Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. He follows Chigurh's string of crimes and tries to ease Moss's concerned wife as he follows her husband's trail. Sheriff Bell stands for all of us who endlessly contemplate evil's profound hold on the world, as it walks in many forms. The entire film carries with it a nihilistic message. Its message is that sometimes, the most we can do to fight evil is to remain diligent and strong. The Sheriff, Moss and his wife Carla Jean realize this quite tragically.
The film's pacing is superb as the camera envelops the viewer into the reality of the situations, with steady camera shots where the actors show the actions on screen without the camera presenting it. Little to no music is present throughout the film, which makes for a more surreal experience for the viewer, as you feel you are with the actors as the actions takes place.
The film's themes of greed and how the good combat against evil make prevalent themes in Coen pictures. Another theme is how the stark imagery of the landscapes and settings connect with the conflict of the characters. The forlorn backgrounds of desolate, morbid landscapes mark their films with an eerie presence. They give off an unsettling perspective of lands without end, where peace and safety from evil are nowhere to be found. This is beautifully crafted in the gaping desert of this film and the frozen tundra of North Dakota in the Coen's Academy Award winning "Fargo." If you are an avid filmgoer and have been deprived of entertainment as well as profound meaning in films all year, "No Country for Old Men," is your ticket.

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