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There is this saying "All roads lead to Rome". That line, however, can be re-phrased as, for this film, "All roads lead to death". The less you know about something or someone, it might kill you. The more you know about something or someone, it might kill you. The world in this film is dominated by a nihilistic madman, a weary, weather-worn sheriff, and a man who stumbled in the wrong frame, thus leading the film into a gritty, violent and unpredictable game of cat 'n mouse. More like T. Rex and sheep. The main themes in the film, there are two, are uncertaincy and paranoia. And these two are highlighted by the repeated uses of coin-toss, motels, doors, and money, the main reason for both.
The Coen brothers handled this film so perfectly that I was left mightily impressed, even though I favour There Will Be Blood more, this films' most strongest rival back in 2008. I guess I'm gonna get into the Prestige/Illusionist argument here. Both films are impressive but Blood had a much better sense of character and surrounding in it, whereas No Country was more interested in the suspense and unforgiving nature of Chigurh. Not to say this film was flawed, just that Blood was better, that's all.
Anyway, the Coen brothers have given us a 20th Century Jason Voorhees with a heart of The Terminator in Anton Chigurh, one of the only few characters who was amazing both in paper and on reel. Chigurh is the de facto ruler of the world he is thrown in and the Coen brothers wasted no time in letting that fact be known. The people in the movie fear Chigurh; What the viewer fears most is his captive bolt pistol, the coolest weapon to be shown on-screen since the Auto 9 in RoboCop. Man, you don't wanna be in the receiving end of it, believe me. The only weapon, probably, to strike fear even in statues in the night when its bullet goes sizzling past by. Anton Chigurh is not only cinema's most creepiest villain, but also one of modern cinema's most feared and most relentless. He kills just like a heart beats; it is his only way to pass the time when he is awake. I bet when he is taking his 40 winks he's probably killing sheep in his dream, or goats in his nightmares. Javier Bardem played him to perfection, to the absolute zenith. With the creepy hairstyle, unique weapon of choice and his oddly good looks (yes, he is good looking, thank you very much), he made Chigurh an iconic character of modern times that will go on to become of all time in a few years. A humourless character in a humourless world. What else do you want?
Josh Brolin was convincing in his role, too, but he couldn't reach to the level of Bardem, no matter how hard he tried, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless. Tommy Lee Jones is a prime example of a love/hate relationship. I like him in some, dislike him in others. This film is the former. I feel like this is what he is cut out for and nothing else. He nailed the Southern accent in this one, something he has done in several other movies. I believe he should just play sheriffs from now on. With Southern accents, of course. Then we have Kelly MacDonald, who was a good eye candy but her performance is nothing to ignore; she is actually better in this than all the other roles she has done. Woody Harrelson is always a welcome. He is one of the only few actors to have achieved the "Dude, you should never leave the screen, even for a second" status. His short appearance, which ends in a memorable death scene, not only puts a smile on your face but makes you go like "Yo bitches! I just saw another Woody Harrelson movie... now I gotta see more", and this is why I'm downloading Zombieland next.
In conclusion, No Country For Old Men is a ferociously violent film that focuses solely on the dark side of action and none of the light side; the one-liners, one-second comic relief and all that.
9.0/10
