Critical Recommendation: No Country For Old Men

Llewelyn Moss, an average Joe hunter and veteran who lives in West Texas in the 1980s, just became what many would call a lucky man. While out hunting, he stumbled upon the grisly aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and found for himself a bag full of approximately $2 Million in cash. He takes the money and returns home to his wife, Carla Jean. Seems like good fortune, right? Wrong. You see, someone wants that money back, and they've hired a man to get it, a mysterious, dangerous killer named Anton Chigurgh, whom I doubt even those who hired him fully understood. How dangerous is he? Well, compared to what, the bubonic plague? Llewelyn didn't know it at the time, but his decision to take the money set into motion a chain of events that he, a Vietnam Veteran, and even the law enforcement of West Texas won't be able to control, let alone understand.

"No Country For Old Men" is a really good movie, like really, really good. So good in fact, that when I watched it and "Saving Private Ryan" for the first time back-to-back, I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but "Ryan" almost seemed to pale a little bit in comparison to what I witnessed upon my first viewing of "No Country For Old Men" (don't worry - later viewings of Spielberg's World War II epic assured me of its timeless craftsmanship). That is the level of masterpiece the Coen Brothers transferred from the book page to the silver screen. But what specifically makes this movie tick, and why do I deem it worthy of a recommendation? Well, a few things. Firstly, this film understands that a simple plot is not a bad plot, and it runs with that memo. "No Country" is more a subsequent series of events than it is a collection of setups and payoffs, and while this can cause a film to swing one way or the other quality-wise depending on the type of story you're telling, the simple cat-and-mouse dynamic of "No Country" served this storytelling strategy very well. It almost transported me to West Texas. I felt like I was along for the ride on this dangerous journey with Llewelyn as he ran from this mysterious, seemingly unkillable man in black. The lack of a background score also helped the immersion the film was trying to capture, as it heightened the sense of authenticity the movie seemed intent on portraying. Adding to that authenticity are simple, matter-of-fact, yet beautifully retro and dark visuals brought to you by the renowned cinematographer who oversaw the visual aspects of this film: the one and only Roger Deakins.

Now, if the film were merely a simplistic flick and nothing more, I would not deem it worthy of a recommendation. But why exactly did "No Country" insist on running with a simple narrative? For the only reason you should: to highlight character. And "No Country" knows exactly what it is doing and why it is doing it when it comes to its organized yet complex sense of characterization. Every single character in this movie is memorable. Llewelyn is a capable, rugged man who never goes down without a fight and proves himself from time to time to be a match for the seemingly unstoppable Anton Chigurgh. Speaking of whom, there's a reason Chigurgh is so talked about in film circles: he's utterly unforgettable. His chilling tone of voice, his cold logic, his ruthless efficiency, and that terrible haircut all combine to create a character who is, at least by my records, one of the greatest villains ever put to screen. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent, too. Tommy Lee Jones's portrayal of Ed Tom Bell, a detective who walks and talks like a cowboy, albeit one who's seen better days, is striking and introspective, and Kelly Macdonald's performance as Carla Jean Moss is very convincing: she's in over her head with this situation, her husband running from a killer and all, and she knows it. The idea of utilizing a straightforward narrative that takes a back seat to character drama was a little risky, but it ultimately worked out, and then some for the Coen Brothers. The characters in this movie stick with you. They feel like real people rather than some one-dimensional cardboard cutouts. And when they don't feel like real people, the other gold standard always applies in times such as these: they're terrifying. You'll want to look away but won't be able to. This movie is a no-holds-barred character study that is loyal to its source material and the characters that inhabit it without sticking beat-for-beat to the book. In short, it's the perfect adaptation, and the performances of its characters made certain of that.

If you've read my article on "The Dark Knight," you know that I love being presented with challenging, unique philosophical ideas in movies, and "No Country" is also very good at implementing these techniques. Most of the characters in this movie, primarily the protagonists, seem to be having some sort of struggle to come to terms with challenges to what they thought of as moral and right. Ed is a man just tired of all the violence he's had to deal with as sheriff, and he is very much struggling to explain all of it despite having grown up with a very clear-cut idea of right and wrong. Llewelyn is a man who is murkier in terms of his moral compass. He's selfish and generally does whatever is best for him personally (albeit apart from a few righteous decisions he makes throughout the film). And finally, Anton serves as a representation of a very simple concept: a challenge to all of these preconceived notions of right and wrong. The horrific violence he unleashes threatens to push Ed over the edge and pushes Llewelyn to the limits of his will to live, forcing him to make some hard decisions that he believes would be best for Carla Jean. And of course, from time to time, Anton also lets a coin toss make the decision for him if the morals get too murky. Because why not? It's a cool, attention-grabbing character trait that also adds layers to his character. The film also isn't afraid to approach its subject matter from a more nihilistic point of view, and while this may push some viewers away, I was genuinely challenged by a lot of the philosophy thrown my way in this movie. This is to say that this movie isn't for everybody, but if you have a solid head on your shoulders, give this movie a watch - I dare you.

Another reason I love this movie is that it very effectively evokes an extremely primal emotion: fear. "No Country" is one of the scariest non-horror movies I've ever seen, and a few tactics help achieve this fright factor. First off, we are watching an incredibly competent protagonist run for his life from someone who's essentially an unstoppable killing machine. Watching witless people get mowed down by a psychopath with any variety of sharp instrument isn't as scary as watching someone smarter than you struggle to defeat an enemy that you can't even see half of the time, save for a muzzle flash in the dark or a black shadow swallowing the light from under a doorway. A highlight in this regard is the shootout Llewelyn and Anton have at the hotel. Someone uploaded this particular scene to YouTube with the simple title of "The Most Intense Scene in Cinema History," and I have a hard time putting a finer point on the primal fear this film captures very effectively. The Coen Brothers didn't pull any punches when it came to capturing the tense atmosphere they desired, and this approach paid off in spades. 

And finally, the last big thing I love about this movie is that it's OK with everything not being OK. This movie has more on its mind than giving audiences a happy ending; instead, it wants them to walk away with questions. What did it all mean? Why did these things have to happen? The movie never really answers these questions, and while some may dismiss this approach as pure nihilism, I like to think of it as the film breaking the fourth wall, in a sense, and asking you, the viewer, to answer that question for yourself, and what's more, this method is very much in line with the habits the film had previously established. Now, if I had to levy a complaint against the movie, it would be some minor pacing issues surrounding the resolution of a major plot point. Everything had been leading up to this event, and then it just kind of...happened. Without much in-scene expanding or expounding upon a very important event that had just transpired. When you watch the movie for yourself, you'll likely understand what I mean, but for now, I have to beat around the bush or spoil the entire movie for you. Ultimately, I will have to dock the movie a point for this somewhat hasty resolution, but other than that, the simple, character-centric tale that "No Country For Old Men" tells is virtually spotless. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I can give it an emphatic thumbs up. As Roger Ebert so eloquently put it, "No Country For Old Men" is a "Good country for dead men." And while they say that dead men tell no tales, I'm going to have to make an exception for this one. This one told a truly exceptional tale.

No Country For Old Men - 9/10

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10