No Country for Old Men Reviews

The Coen Brothers do it again, with an excellent movie in No Country For Old Men. A movie that does not let you go and doesn't bore you at all. Like many Coen films the story isn't there right in front of you, its something you always have to find, and this is no exception. This is why I never thought that this movie was boring at all. I found myself talking to myself just to see if I was really understanding the story. The suspense is really great, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The other thing I like a lot about this movie was that you just weren't told too much which kept you watching, I mean if you think this movie doesn't glue you to the screen, how bout sitting through 3 hours of King Kong. No Country for old men, just a movie that you can't forget and that you need to see.

didnt like it slow as hell - and why would you carry a can of oxygen round to kill people - my grandfather has one and all of sudden feel uneasy about approaching him in his comfy chair.

I initially gave this film only six stars. The calm, cold bloodedness of Javier Bardem's character made me change it to eight. Anton Chigurh stepped roughly from the pages of Cormac McCarthy's novel, slid into film, and suddenly created some competition in the creepiest villain category. Dr. Lector, watch your back. I know someone who may be coming at it with a compressed air gun.

However, while Bardems performance was...interesting, I found everything else in the movie to be the kind of boring that sucks your soul out through your eyes. I found myself checking my watch every five minutes...and then every two. Then, of course, after waiting WAY too long for an ending, I was left with (drum roll please) Tommy Lee Jones telling us about a fricking DREAM. This movie was saved by the bad guy. They should be thanking him...from a distance.

Wow!!! No Country For Old Men is an absolutely brilliant tense, thrilling masterpiece from the Coen brothers. I was literally blown away by how good this film really was. It is one of the rare thrillers that wins the Best Picture award. It is a film that you get totally gripped with in such a suspenseful way that makes you feel that you are really there taking the journey with all of the characters and are feeling some of the things that the characters are feeling within it. The suspense isn't so much the events that happen but it was mostly the suspense is between the characters within the film. There is this sort of cat-and-mouse game that is played where one man chases and goes after another man for money. This is very hard to watch on some rare occasions because it is a very violent film which is so deadly and so unmerciful that it can make you feel a tiny bit sick. I don't really know whether to call this film a western or not because there aren't any cowboys but I suppose it is because it is set in deserts and large fields where they are sheriffs wearing cowboy hats. I find it to be a rather rare treasured film from filmmakers that have done similar sorts of films in the past.


The acting from the entire cast it absolutely awesome! Josh Brolin's performance as Llewelyn Moss was really good. Llewelyn is a welder and Vietnam veteran who flees with two million dollars in drug money that he finds in an open field in Texas. It was more of the hard situations he ended up in because of his being a fugitive to Anton to earn the $2 million. His performance was a good contender for Best Leading Actor at the 80th Academy Awards but I think Emile Hirsch hada better chance at it. Tommy Lee Jones is absolutely awesome as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. He is a laconic, soon-to-retire small-town sheriff who is meant to try and hunt down Anton Chigurh. Javier Bardem delivers one of the most terrifying male performances of all time and one of the best film villains of all time too. Anton is cold hearted killer who is after the $2 million so he can buy more weapons. Anton Chigurh is a sociopathic assassin hired to recover the drug money.


The Coen Brothers have made a film that is rather unusual for them to make because they haven't made any other film like No Country For Old Men before. I think the one other Coen that is similar to No Country For Old Men is O Brother Where Art Thou because that is a bit like a western apart from that is a comedy and No Country For Old Men isn't. They both go from black comedies to a crime thriller and have created their best and most accomplished work so far. This film is adapted from a 2005 novel of the same name by American author Cormac McCarthy. It is a very well filmed motion picture that is full of suspense that makes it feel like a rollercoaster.


No Country For Old Men is the best of the five Best Picture nominees of 2007 which is why it deserved to win Best Picture. It is the best work from the Coen Brothers so far. Bardem's performance is one of the most terrifying performances of all time. Javier Bardem's performance is the best male performance of the year, only just beating Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street even though that is my favourite film. 2007 was an outstanding year for cinema so No Country For Old Men is the 3rd best of 2007 after Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street and Ratatouille. For the past two years in a row, Best Supporting Actor has gone to two actors playing two extremely fearful villains: Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in 2007 and then Heath Ledger as The Joker in 2008. No Country For Old Men is one of the best thrillers of all time and is one of my favourite cat-and-mouse films ever too!! It is a masterpiece that you will be totally gripped by from the start right until the very end.

A little slow moving at the beginning, maybe. You definitely couldn't watch it if you needed a movie to keep you awake but it did kind of build the tension up towards the middle-end. I will say though, that Javier Bardem was the most solid character I've seen in awhile. His voice, mannerisms, appearance, everything was just great. I need to read the book and compare but from what I've heard, this is one of those rare occasions where they both are amazing. I've read McCarthy's "The Road" and loved it, so I can only imagine. Overall, it's a little unsettling for some people, but I highly recommend it!

''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.''

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter, Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande. Nothing ever goes smoothly sometimes and before you know it he's on the run from a psychopathic cold killer.

Josh Brolin: Llewelyn Moss.

Javier Bardem: Anton Chigurh.

Relentless in method, challenging in presentation, and unforgettable in execution; The Coen Brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's acclaimed novel borders upon pure genius in its characters and suspenseful build up, but sacrifices much of the clarity (though not the power) of its narration in the strict adherence to its source material. Boasting some of the finest performances of the year, the Coen's fantastically intricate thriller demands an astute mind and a perceptive eye to decipher the multi-layered parallels that lie in No Country for Old Men.



Having watched the two Oscar heavyweights No country for old men and There will be blood round about the same time period on the big screen, I can't help noticing the sharp contrast in audio style, while Blood came with background music so overwhelming that it threatens to take over foreground, Old men had only silence, natural sound and dialogue, with no music at all. There is no right or wrong: each style serves its particular purpose. Imagine the scene in Old men with Llewelyn Moss in the middle of the night in a sunken hollow strewn with a few abandoned vehicles and dead bodies. As the menacing headlight of an ominous looking vehicle at the top of a slope threatens to approach, any kind of music would do more harm than good to the blood-chilling atmosphere present.

In their inimitable fashion, the Coen Brothers crafted this adopted story through a mesmerizing plot line that is ever elusive, giving you the slip every time you feel that you have got the hang of things. The plot line looks simple: a common young man who stumbles across two million dollars becomes the prey of a serial killer who is after the money (and his life), while a season sheriff comes after both – an almost standard cat-and-mouse story. But there are more than initially meets the eye.
Moss the everyday man protagonist is not your ordinary reckless young man next door. Seasoned Vietnam veteran, he shows his stuff when chased by a ferocious killing bloodhound, hurriedly loading his pistol but never losing control, and firing it when the canine's deadly teeth is within three feet of his throat. He is undoubtedly the prey, but not one that rolls over and play dead. But this is really the hunter's show. Javier Bardem (The sea inside) whom has won every Best Supporting Actor in sight is good enough to give Daniel Day-Lewis a run for his money had he been put in the contest for Best Actor, to which he has every right. The most amazing thing is that while his physical appearance is at times even comical (mainly due to the ridiculous hair style), his mere presence is so chilling that it makes Jason Voorhees, Norman Bates and Hannibal Lector look like Disney villains.

''I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does.''

As the movie follows the standard cat-and-mouse crime thriller development, the audience may be so hung to the edge of their seats that they forget temporarily that this is indeed the Coen Brothers. The climatic showdown that they tricked you into expecting never presents itself. Everything seems to fall apart in the last third of the movie, or does it?
For some people it may do, but these certain individuals lack sophistication in plain terms; Necessary train of thought or depth albeit an ability to see between the lines. Clearly No Country is going for it's source Novel and this Story is not a straight line but one of complication, one of poetic reflection. The ending to me was a marvel, like a newly born ray of sunshine upon ones face. The words reflecting deeper meaning and wisdom, that shamefully are wasted upon mainstream audiences. For those gracious enough to embrace the ending for what it is, will certainly come off all the better for it, not to mention inspiring and awe defining.

The cat-and-mouse game ended almost as an afterthought, with none of the excitement the audience thought they had been promised. The focus has long since shifted to depiction of Bell, as one of the old men, in the title, one of disconnection and unparalleled from the main story yet ultimately part of it regardless. If you think back, most of the small roles (starting with the attendant of the now famous and memorable gas station scene at the start of the story) are old individuals. While the audience might have forgotten, the directors/screen writers have not. They haven't abandoned the concept, that this movie is trying to show why this desolate, seemingly endless horizon, Texas country is quite literally no country for old men. Added to this is the final touch, the accident; showing how karmic life and reality can be.

There was so many great scenes in No Countrythat it is hard to cover it all in a single review. The tension, the sounds, the beats, the uses of silence all are definitely used to perfection. Had me jumping on numerous occasions in the cinema, and that part with Anton waiting for his pursuer after finding the transmitter was amazingly shocking.
Without a doubt this film has you on the edge of your seat. The audience I saw this with didn't appreciate it. They didn't see the bigger picture, the gritty realism, the beautiful poetry of that ending, and if you see the words in that finale; allow them to sink in, then truly it will blow you away.
Best film of 2007-2008 I've seen to date. The level of acting and vision is unsurpassed, and it will draw you in and stay with you. Definitely want to watch again and again, there's so much crammed in this. You will soak it up like a sponge. A masterpiece. Unrivaled entertainment; a haunting thriller and an unrivaled story adaptation.

''Yeah, I'm going to bring you something, alright. I decided to make you a special project of mine. You ain't going have to come looking for me at all.''

A few seconds with an ugly face, the killer face, is the passport to win an Oscar. Javier Bardem, the most upper-rated actor of Spain, won the oscar being himself. He is as ugly that academy gave him the Oscar to tray to him return to spain and never come back.

Tomy Lee Jones is beeter actor than Javier, but his paper is a terrible fake in the Coen's film. He is a star with an own light, but ecipsed by Josh Brolin, the best actor of this poor film.

Sorry if my english isn´t as well as you can understand, but I´ll try to learn more English in a future...

" I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five years old..."

The Coen Brothers have had their finest hours and weakest hours, but No Country for Old Men will forever stand as their best hour. The film just manages to beat Fargo (a film which I loved) with its mix of engaging drama and a script that doesn't feel compelled to follow the standard conventions.

The trailers didn't do much for me, and I was a little bit apprehensive at first...but it raked it awards endlessly and I felt like it was my duty to investigate. Boy am I glad that I did. "Do not judge a book by its cover" is all the advice I can give you in this case.

A hunter named Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) stumbles across a pile of dead bodies, a stash of heroin and millions of dollars in cash. After collecting the money for himself, he is endlessly stalked by a madman named Anton (Bardem). Violence and mayhem ensue as the bloodbath commences, and there will be no stopping it until someone is dead.

The plot is a lot more complex and interesting, but I found the film more enjoyable when I didn't know where it was going. Every scene is filled with intelligent dialogue and necessary character development. On top of this, the Coen Brothers have injected their special kind of subtle humour into the mix.

The film is incredibly violent, and some of the scenes are really hard to stomach. But the film is well made, and once the intensity begins it never eases up. During some of the scenes I was on the edge of my seat, with the slightest noise causing me to jump uncontrollably.

The way that the film is constructed and crafted is superb. There is not a scrap of music to be found during the film. Only during the end credits. Without music, we are able to be further engaged in the action, and I think we're more able to feel a certain character's emotions to an extent that can't be beaten.

The ending was something that had me thinking for about half an hour as it felt incomplete at first, but then I realised how clever and unconventional it is, albeit quite sudden. The ending just put things into perspective and kept the story out of standard Hollywood territory.

Kudos to the Coen Brothers for keeping the violence taut, the dialogue worthwhile and the characters realistic. Although I had little hopes for this film, No Country for Old Men is one of 2007's best movies and truly worthy of its Oscar nominations.

This has to be, without a doubt, one of the best films of 2007. The Coen Brothers have again made their talent for film-making shine through this film. From the moment it starts to it's abrupt yet defining end, No Country For Old Men is a true masterpiece of a movie that should not be missed.

I can say for a start that it wasn't quite what I had expected it to be. I knew little about the plot and tried to keep an open mind while walking into the cinema, which was probably the best thing to be doing. It surprised me, but in the best possible way. From the little I knew, I thought it would be perhaps more of a drama film. Instead, it came out to me as a very well done thriller. There was also more violence than I expected, and it wasn't just it being bloody, but everything seemed very sudden. I saw these things as compliments to the movie, for I felt that without them it wouldn't have been the multi-award winning, brilliant film that it is.

Tommy Lee Jones was in the film for quite a bit less than I was expecting him to. Even so, his performance while on the screen was near perfection. Javier Bardem was... well, I can say that he 100% deserved that Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He created a terrifying and fearless character, his performance in this film is sure to be remembered. Josh Brolin was also another stand-out performance, as was all of the acting.

This is a must see movie that I strongly recommend anyone and everyone to see.

If you are a fan of the Coen brothers movie making, you won't be disappointed with this film. The movie was beatifully shot at great locations that add to the story. The movie has some flaws, but the acting and filming is so well done that you kind of overlook them.

Javier Bardem is worth watching this movie for his perfermance alone. He was well deserving of the Oscar he earned in his role as the brutal hit man. His robotic no nonsense approach to the role was scary. Josh Brolin was very believable in his performance also. He came across as a guy you could drink a beer and trade stories with in a bar.

The only thing I didn't like with the movie is the ending. I know it has been talked about and was probably done in that way to get discussions going, but I didn't like it. I was hoping for better closure in the movie after spending two hours watching these two guys go after each other. This movie is definately worth spending an evening out at the theater. Enjoy!

Flash