CURRY CHANDLER
Staff Writer
Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men” opened in selected theaters Friday. The film is the first from the Coen brothers since the disappointing “The Ladykillers” in 2004. Adapted from the novel by Pulitzer-prize winning author Cormac McCarthy, the film features Josh Brolin (“American Gangster”) as a rugged Texan trailer-dweller, and Javier Bardem (“Collateral”) as the psychopathic assassin trying to kill him. Tommy Lee Jones (“Men in Black,” “Double Jeopardy”) also stars as the veteran sheriff of a small West Texas town.
“No Country for Old Men” is radically different from the Coen’s efforts in the past decade, and thankfully so. The finished product is taut, tense and a decidedly great movie. It also represents a return to the brothers’ roots, as the film parallels their directorial debut, “Blood Simple,” in setting, tone and style. Under these conditions, the viewing experience can be both comfortably familiar and refreshingly new at the same time.
After opening with a brief voiceover narration by Jones’ character, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, one of the citizens under Bell’s watch is introduced, Vietnam veteran Llewellyn Moss (Brolin). While hunting in the expansive Texan flat-lands, Moss discovers the site of a drug deal gone bad — leaving behind several dead bodies, a huge amount of heroin and a case holding $2 million in cash. Moss takes the money home and immediately finds himself pursued by numerous interested parties, including a menacing maniac named Chigurh (Bardem) who has a proclivity for wielding a cattle gun as a murder weapon. For those wary of plot-spoilers, rest assured that all these points are established within 10 minutes of the opening titles.
The movie hits the ground running and hardly stops to catch its breath for the first half. Adapting someone else’s work proved a benefit for the Coens, who produced a script both sharp and lean (further distinguishing the flick from past misfires like “Ladykillers”). The story unfolds immaculately and the brothers manage to sustain suspense while interweaving the perspectives of the three leads.
Much of that success is due to the notably strong performances delivered by the entire cast. Brolin plays the reserved Moss with earnestness and an accent that is pitch-perfect, avoiding lazy southern stereotyping or shades of yokelism. Moss is the closest thing to a “hero” in the film, and Brolin’s performance portrays a “warts and all” honesty that manages to make the character believable in the midst of such outlandishly extraordinary events.
As the unstoppable killing machine Chigurh, Javier Bardem’s performance is absolutely chilling. His physicality precedes him, possessing an imposing frame and deep, hollow voice. Chigurh is supposed to be a notoriously effective hired killer unhindered by human emotion, and Bardem will make you believe it. The character is reminiscent of the taciturn kidnapper from “Fargo,” both in the intrinsic savagery and the presence of the performance.
Jones is too obvious a choice for the role of the hardened Texas sheriff hoping to make it to retirement without too much more excitement. It is not a bad performance, rather I would place it as one of Jones’ career best, but it can be difficult seeing anything other than Jones when he is on screen.
Dialogue in “No Country for Old Men” is unusually sparse for a Coen production. However, it is rarely noticeably-absent, as the economical writing and tight editing maintain narrative semblance and clarity of presentation. Appreciators of more technical aspects will find much to love in “No Country,” including the aforementioned outstanding editing and the near-lyrical images of Roger Deakins’ cinematography. The score composed by Carter Burwell accomplishes the hallmark of great soundtracks by not drawing attention to itself.
Fans of the Coen brothers will embrace “No Country for Old Men” as a welcome return to form. Any movie fan who appreciates great drama, suspense and acting will want to be sure to find a theater showing this future cinema classic. The two-hour runtime breezes by without ever becoming dull, and it can be certified “Guaranteed Entertaining.”
11-15-2007
