Running Time: 122 minutes
The best picture of 2007 (at least so far as the Academy is concerned) wasn't the throat-slashing mayhem of "Sweeney Todd" or the mock princess story of "Enchanted." No, last year's top honors went to a gritty psychological thriller/western hybrid. Chock-full of Mexicans, shotguns, cowboy boots and southern drawl, "No Country for Old Men" took home an astounding 87 awards, including four oscars. But what exactly is this anti-senior land all about?
It begins innocently enough. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is out in the sandy midwest, rifle in hand, attempting to take down a pronghorn. His shot doesn't quite hit the mark, and as he comes down to investigate the blood trail he notices another one. He follows it until coming across a circle of seemingly abandoned trucks. Dead people and animals litter the area, and inside one truck he discovers a tremendous quantity of drugs and a case filled with cash. He also finds a man in the truck, slowly bleeding and begging for water (which of course Moss doesn't have).
That night in bed Moss gets a sting of conscience and gets out of bed to see if the guy is still alive and in need of water. Unfortunately for him, not only is his Mexican friend dead, but his pals have returned; with guns. One shootout later and Moss has gone from being in the right place and the right time to, well, the opposite. Not only are the Mexicans after their drug money, but unbeknownst to him they've hired a hit-man named Chigurh (Javier Bardem) to take him down.
And Chigurh is not your traditional assassin. He possesses a cool, calm mannerism and yet behaves in a seemingly erratic way. If you get in his way--indeed, if you see him--you will die. Unless of course he decides to let the flip of a coin decide your faith, in which case you may live. For the unlucky ones, however, it is likely that you'll be having a rendezvous with Chigurh's peculiar weapons, either his silenced shotgun or the captive bolt pistol, the latter of which is also commonly used to break into homes and hotel rooms.
Meanwhile, called in to investigate the same empty trucks and dead bodies is officer Ed Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). And so begins a warped game of cat-and-mouse wherein it's nigh impossible to tell exactly who the mice are and who the cats are. One thing's for sure: Chigurh will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and (it would seem) nothing can stop Chirgurh.
One of the most striking features of the Coen Brothers' latest venture is its stunning visuals. The Texan landscape is crisply captured in a way that is simultaneously gritty and polished. Stylistically, there is never too much concentration on the gore, though enough to convince the viewer that Chigurh is a truly heinous person.
The only really questionable aspect is what message "No Country for Old Men" wants to get across to its viewers. In light of the title and the way in which the film ends, it is likely a commentary on the degradation of American society, particularly in the areas of increased violence and decreased capacity to prevent it. If this is the case, Chigurh is certainly a good representation of the theme. His origins are obscure, but what he is now is unavoidable. He has no choice but to do as he does. "They always say the same thing," he taunts one character. " 'You don't have to do this.' "
This is the question we must ask ourselves. Is the violence really necessary? Can it be stopped? And, if so...
How?
Links:
~No Country for Old Men on IMDb
~No Country for Old Men official site
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