No Country for Old Men (2007)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Directors:

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (screenplay) &
Ethan Coen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

There Are No Clean Getaways

Plot:

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.

Plot Keywords:

Money | Killer | Murder | Sheriff | Discovery

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 93 wins & 44 nominations

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Sheriff Ed Tom Bell
Javier Bardem	...	Anton Chigurh
Josh Brolin	...	Llewelyn Moss
Woody Harrelson	...	Carson Wells
Kelly Macdonald	...	Carla Jean Moss
Garret Dillahunt	...	Deputy Wendell
Tess Harper	...	Loretta Bell
Barry Corbin	...	Ellis
Stephen Root	...	Man who hires Wells
Rodger Boyce	...	Sheriff Roscoe Giddens
Beth Grant	...	Carla Jean's Mother
Ana Reeder	...	Poolside Woman
Kit Gwin	...	Sheriff Bell's Secretary
Zach Hopkins	...	Strangled Deputy
Chip Love	...	Man in Ford

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/18 | Brazil:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #43473) | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Israel:16 | Denmark:15 | Norway:15 | Taiwan:R-18 | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | South Africa:16 (16V) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:16 | Austria:16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

Javier Bardem's victory at the 80th Academy Awards (Feb. 2008) makes him the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): While Moss is hunting deer at the beginning of the movie, he commits two serious gun safety violations. First, after firing at a deer he loads another round into his rifle, even though he doesn't plan to make another shot. Then he neglects to put the rifle's safety on, which could easily lead to an accidental discharge.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ed Tom Bell: I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five years old. Hard to believe. My grandfather was a lawman; father too. Me and him was sheriffs at the same time; him up in Plano and me out here. I think he's pretty proud of that. I know I was. Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun...

Movie Connections:

References Miller's Crossing (1990)

Soundtrack:

Puño de tierra

You Don't Get Perfection Like This Very Often

If you're a Coen brothers fan, you're gonna be extremely delighted with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. This is Ethan and Joel at the pinnacle of their directing careers, something that should not be missed by anyone interested in film or entertainment. Forget FARGO. Push aside THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Move over O' BROTHER WHERE ART THOU. No Country is leaps and bounds beyond those. In fact, it reigns supreme as 2007's best film.

I don't always agree with movie critics but this time they got it right. It is the first time that Associated Press reviewers David Germain and Christy Lemire have both selected the same film as their #1 pick. With more award nominations than you could shake a stick at (including four Golden Globes, three Screen Actors Guilds, probably a gaggle of Oscars and many, many, many others), No Country will undeniably have directors, actors and screenwriters jumping up on stage come awards ceremony time.

Equal parts thriller, western, crime-drama, and action, No Country weaves a tapestry of excellence throughout its length.

The first note of excellence must be directed at Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Probably not very well known to most American audiences, Javier has cemented himself as the leader in portraying a psychopathic killer and (dare I say it!) has surpassed that of Anthony Hopkins in his SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Hannibal Lecter role (something that I thought would never happen). Ruthless, unforgiving, sociopathic, and in desperate need of a new hair style, Anton Chigurh (Bardem) is flawless. Every time he showed up on-screen I felt a chill run through my bones ("Call it"). Absolutely perfect.

The next note of excellence must go to Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones. Llewelyn Moss (Brolin, PLANET TERROR) is the lucky/unlucky soft-spoken Texas cowpoke/hunter who stumbles across a veritable fortune in drug money only to be relentlessly pursued by killer Anton. Mr. Moss' gradual decline in health (mainly due to wounds inflicted on him by Anton) is painful to watch up until the very end. Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is the opposite of Anton Chigurh. He doesn't understand all of the death and destruction laid at his feet. He longs for a time when murders were easy to track and solve, not these new-fangled deaths where bullets aren't used (air-guns do just fine) and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to their patterns.

The fourth (perhaps this should've been first) note of excellence goes to the Coen brothers for their perfect adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel by the same name. Many lines of dialogue were lifted verbatim from the novel itself, including the ending monologue by Tommy Lee. It's noteworthy to mention here that the Coen brothers not only directed but wrote the screenplay, too.

The final note has to go Cinematographer Roger Deakins (he's worked with the Coen brothers on many occasions and also did the exemplary JARHEAD work). Every scene was so well thought-out and so convincingly filmed that viewers are carried freakishly easy through this incredible story.

It's difficult to do justice to this film with one short review, simply because there are so many great elements to it. The casting was spectacular — with Woody Harrelson (NORTH COUNTRY) and Kelly Macdonald (THE GIRL IN THE CAFÉ) pulling in exceptional supporting roles — as was Carter Burwell's haunting original musical score and Mary Zophres impeccable costume designs.

If you missed this film at your local cineplex, you may have gypped yourself from experiencing this amazing cinematic event. Now you've gotta wait for the DVD to be released and then ...it's your call.