No Country for Old Men

Wow. I went with Cami to see the new Coen brothers' film, No Country for Old Men, last night. Wow.

Despite the fact that it was perhaps the darkest movie I've ever seen (I'm not exaggerating), I really liked it. In fact, I need to see it again, cause I think I missed the full weight of the meaning in some parts. The loss of innocence/optimism that comes with age, and the inability to do anything about evil in the world, are major themes.

I won't say much about the plot, except that its VERY violent and leaves you with no answers, and no happy ending. You can read some reviews here. Which, BTW, are overwhelmingly laudatory. The Coen brothers are as brilliant as ever with their little touches that make a movie so real -- the dialogue, the accurate small town accents, and their general conception of "characters" with a lot of personality. They are so right on. This movie has none of their trippy sequences (ie: Big Lebowski and Oh Brother, Where Art Thou), but a lot of the creepy feel of The Man Who Wasn't There and the darkness of Fargo, except these two things are taken to a whole new level. CREEPY sums it up very well. You are on the edge of your seat the whole time! The almost complete lack of a soundtrack adds to this feel... Plus, the lighting and cinematography are as inspired as ever (look at the composition in the shot below), and the acting is amazing. I was particularly impressed with Tommy Lee Jones, who has a supporting role and does very well in a more modest setting. And, the creepy guy, Javier Bardem, was, well, just go see it. Yikes.


I smell a "Best Picture" Oscar nomination. Overall, I highly recommend seeing this movie. But brace yourself, and don't expect to leave uplifted.

If you've seen it, leave a comment -- I'd love to hear your thoughts.