No Country For Old Men
— Director: Joel Coen; Ethan Coen United States, 2007 It’s probably fair to say that the Coen brothers had been off their game for a…”

- Director: Joel Coen; Ethan Coen
- United States, 2007

It’s probably fair to say that the Coen brothers had been off their game for a few years. Since 2000′s O Brother Where Art Thou, we’ve had to swallow a lukewarm homage to film noir and a couple of flaccid big studio pictures. With No Country, the brothers are back in town. Yet whilst some Coen trademarks are here in abundance (tight plotting, expansive landscapes) others are noticeably muted (black humour, rich dialogue).
The story is propelled by three characters who never meet until the ends of their respective arcs. When they do meet, there is no interplay. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is the central figure, a ne’er do well who happens on a disastrous drug deal and its cash bag. Tracking him is the sociopathic hitman Anton Chigurh who’s no longer focused on the hit. Trailing both is the bemused veteran Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who, as our link to the protagonists, finds such ‘modern’ crimes unfathomable. Woody Harrelson also pops up in a small, scene-stealing role as another hitman dispatched to bring down Chigurh.
This latest effort from the Coens is vintage stuff. Rather than relying so heavily on script, the distinctive sharp taste comes from pure acting and Javier Bardem’s masterful, Oscar-worthy turn as Chigurh drives the film with a crackling, frightening energy. Like the ‘cattlegun’ with which he dispenses people and door locks, Chigurh’s violence is drastic, suddenly explosive yet always controlled. As a result, the always-vacant look in his eyes is something to be feared.
See also:
Fargo
A masterpiece of underplay and a black comedy à l’époque, Fargo is a Coen watershed. ...
- Originally published: 25 Feb 2007 in Film
Double Indemnity
A crackling script but surprisingly short on dramatic tension. ...
- Originally published: 7 Oct 2007 in Film
The Apostle
Director: Robert Duvall United States, 1997 It’s amazing The Apostle isn’t better known, despite an Oscar nomination for Duvall’s intense, virtuoso acting performance. Duvall also wrote and directed his labour of love, ...
- Originally published: 12 Mar 2007 in Film
Frida
Big-canvas biopic: a film full of colours that’s let down by a watery script. ...
- Originally published: 15 Aug 2007 in Film
Memories of Murder
Intense Korean drama packed with atmosphere and powerful emotion. ...
- Originally published: 26 Jul 2007 in Film
Who you gonna call?
Hello you, I'm Mike Padgett. I'm not the Princeton curator, the US senatorial candidate, the Kentuckian pastor or the journalist from Arizona. In fact, I work as a consultant in User Experience and Information Design.
I also enjoy travel, concerts, films and walking.
I'm originally from Yorkshire, England but nowadays I live in Brussels, Belgium. My current favourite Belgian beer is Ellezelloise Hercule.





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