HomeAbout
0 Frank's Reel Reviews 0
0

sdetailssratingssreviewscommentssdvd

No Country for Old MenNo Country For Old Men (2007)

Rated: R for strong graphic violence and some language.
Runtime: 122 mins.
Director: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen
Writer: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen from a novel by Cormac McCarthy.
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones; Javier Bardem; Josh Brolin; Woody Harrelson ... complete cast
Tagline: There Are No Clean Getaways
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller/Western
Memorable Quote: "1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it." ... more quotes
Release Date: November 9, 2007
Distributor: Miramax Films
Official Site: www.nocountryforoldmen-themovie.com/
View the Trailer: www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/nocountryforoldmen/


Reel Rating
Reel rating: 5/5
Reel commentary: ... As with almost every Coen Brothers film – The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty excluded – there's more happening in the story than meets the eye. Sure, the thrill-seekers, gore-hounds and gun-nuts will find plenty to like, but there's also tons of juicy undertones and subjective creativity in there as well ... full review


Movie Review

By Frank Wilkins

During an early and particularly brutal scene at my screening of No Country For Old Men, I overheard a viewer seated behind me mumble that she was confused as to why people were laughing. She said, "I don't get it," and then rustled brusquely in her seat, appalled that people would laugh at such a sight. Later on in the movie, as the entire audience was gasping in horror at another particular visual, this same lady was snickering in glee. This is sure to be a typical reaction from most viewers of the latest offering by the Coen brothers. Adapted from the popular 2003 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, the film manages to ground us in harsh reality with its disturbing observation of the decline of American civility, while at the same time tickling us with a humorous depiction of death and meaningless violence. We sense the Coens rubbing their hands together in grim satisfaction as at one moment we're wincing in fear, yet in the very next, we're wallowing in dark, gallows humor... our moral compasses spinning wildly in all directions. Can criminals have principles? Can violence, greed, and apathy ever lead to good? These are the moral ambiguities we're left to face.

Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), while hunting antelope on the dusty stretches of Texas ranch country where sagebrush is street corner and cow plop is manhole cover, happens upon the grisly remains of a drug deal gone wrong. Bloody bodies and shattered pickup trucks litter the scene... even the pit bull guard dogs weren't spared. We're as in the dark about what went down, as is Moss. But he's more interested in the satchel full of money. $2 million worth to be exact. He stashes the money in a safe place, then frolics in delight with his perky wife, played by Kelly McDonald.

1408
Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh

All images copyright © 2007 Miramax Films
Meanwhile, one of the baddest bad guys since Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb, equipped with one of the most sadistic weapons ever on film, is escaping from apprehension... but not before strangling his deputy captor with his own handcuffs. Sporting a mile-long mean streak, a Starsky & Hutch coif, and a deadly cattle stun gun, he sets out in a stolen police cruiser, the electronic sensor by his side ticking frantically anytime he gets near Moss and the satchel of money. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), as he's known, leaves behind a bloody path of death and destruction – often caused by the flip of a coin - as he tracks the money.

At the film's moral center is the craggy-faced Texas sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a disillusioned rural lawman more comfortable in front of a warm cup of coffee than he is on the trail of bad guys. He's about to retire and he views this latest botched heroin deal with disgust and resignation. To him, it's yet another leg chipped out from under the foundation of human civility. There once was a time when even criminals respected the law, but now people care more about themselves and less about whether others live or die. Sheriff Bell doesn't completely understand this latest gruesome crime scene, and when talking about it with his deputy who confirms "it's a mess ain't it sheriff," Bell casually quips, "If it ain't, it'll do till the mess gets here." But he's seasoned enough to know that Moss is a marked man.

The paths of these three men are converging. And yes, there will be blood... plenty of blood.

But that's not all. A ruthless gang of Mexican drug lords is also on the trail of the money, as well as hired gun, Carson Wells played by the powder blue leisure suite-clad Woody Harrelson, and an omnipresent posse of jacked-up pickups trucks with faceless drivers. Amazing... the odd assortment of characters lured by the lifted skirt and perfumed inner-thigh of $2 million.

As with almost every Coen Brothers film – The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty excluded – there's more happening in the story than meets the eye. Sure, the thrill-seekers, gore-hounds and gun-nuts will find plenty to like, but there are also plenty of juicy undertones and subjective creativity in there as well. Some even claim to see Biblical references to the Christian Holy Trinity. Of course, Lone Star stater Jones' delivery is pure Texas, but the spot-on dialogue, which comes almost straight out of McCarthy's book - complete with south Texas colloquialisms - are so authentic it's hard to believe there wasn't a Texas advisor involved somewhere along the way.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins provides the follow-up punch to his earlier The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford with his portrayal of the hardscrabble west Texas countryside. His dusty, blood-soaked, sun-parched environment becomes another character almost as formidable as Chigurh. Well... almost.

Expect this one to remain fresh on voters' minds come Oscar time. It's that good.

Frank Wilkins



Comments

Frank Says:
Nov 10th, 2007 at 20:49

More No Country For Old Men quotes:

"Yes, you did. You've been putting it up your whole life you just didn't know it. You know what date is on this coin?"

"Look, I need to know what I stand to win."

"You stand to win everything. Call it."

"I don't know, he ought to. He's seen the same things I've seen, and it's certainly made an impression on me."


SeaJ Says:
Nov 17th, 2007 at 12:16

trying to find the quote from the Tommy Lee and Barry Corbin scene near the end of the film...involves vanity and Barry's character is quoted...any ideas?


Mer Says:
Jan 28, 2008 at 10:26

Also looking for the same quote with Tommy Lee and Barry Corbin in the trailer at the end....it includes "you can't stop what's coming...that's vanity...."


Frank Says:
Jan 28, 2008 at 10:46

Mer, is this one you're looking for? When Ellis says, "Whatcha got ain't nothin new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity. "


Ryan Says:
Mar 23, 2008 at 13:54

rated 14A, but it has non stop violence and the worst gore ive seen yet. way worse than most R movies ive seen.

and its extremely hard to understand what they're saying. they have Texan accents, and on top, there quite and they slur all there words together. I literally replayed a line by an actor at least 20 times, and still didnt understand what he had said. i ended up turning on the subtitles to figure out what he said.

The opening was good. although it was a bore for me. and at the end of the movie, i watched the intro again. and guess what? it didnt make any sense even then. so even though the intro sounded good and was a good idea, it didnt help get the movie going.

the characters arent even introduced properly, so you dont find out there names until the middle of the movie. You don't even find out what the main charcter is like (job, role in the mov, etc.). He is just a random guy. You don't figure out if his wife is either his wife or his sister or daughter until later on either. [with her age she couldve been either].

The worst part was there was absolutely no ending. I dont want to spoil too much, so ill just say that the end doesnt tie anything up, and has no closure, and its completely random and almost made up at the last second because the movie was running on too long.

So the fact that there is no ending, not a very good intro, no good character details whatsoever, and other under-average qualities of this movie...i would say this movie isnt a good movie to see unless you see it for free or you just are a fan of a Texas style psychopathic-man-killing-everybody type movies

I first saw the preview and i thought it was going to be a movie i would enjoy, but nothing special. Once i watched this movie, my opinion was about right. I noticed that it was better than I expected for this type of movie. They went all out and made a movie to the best extent with what they could do.

As the movie plays, the characters are introduced very nicely. On top of that fact, the main character, as well as the co-main characters are all well described in time. Over the course of the movie, the characters are shown in more detail, and you really get to know their past and how they have grown and changed. It is a really fun movie to watch when you understand the characters more deeply.

The storyline, although not very deep or perfect, is also not very confusing or indirect, which is good. This genre and plot is hard to detail, but this movie has done it pretty well.

Overall, i liked this movie, and it was better than i expected, with only some flaws like the camera work (decent, not very professional), and some songs in their soundtrack.


Guy Says:
May 21, 2008 at 02:37

"frolics in delight with his perky wife"

Did you see the same film I did? Snarking on the sofa is hardly frolicking.


- Leave a Comment on No Country For Old Men -
(Comments are moderated)

Your (nick)name:

Your Comment:




DVD Information

Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Subtitles: French; Spanish

Language and Sound: English: Dolby Digital 5.1

Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; making-of featurette; Working with the Coens featurette; Diary of A Country Sheriff featurette.

  • Featurettes
    • The Making of No Country for Old Men
    • Working with the Coens
    • Diary of a Country Sheriff
  • Trailers

Number of discs: - 1 - Keepcase Packaging

Component Grades
Movie
DVD
DVD Experience

Search Now:  
Amazon Logo

Buy the DVD

Complete Cast

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

Custom Search


0

Your Ad Here

0

©2002, Reel Reviews, All rights reserved.