Who the hell am I to tell you that No Country For Old Men basically lives up to the
hype that’s been thrown at it at a consistent basis since its debut on the big screen? If I’m
remembering correctly, I’m basically a comedy writer who had a few friends start up a
website. All in all, I think what I’m trying to say is that if you’re actually paying attention
to what I think of movies, you’re an asshole, and No Country For Old Men was
probably my favorite film of last year. Let the backlash begin!
Somewhere in the patented Coen Brothers-esque barren, gritty, dusty brown landscape of
Texas man-of-few-words Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin in full-on shitkicker mode) has
stumbled upon what can only be described as one fucked up drug deal. Not only is there
enough bricks of heroin lying around to build a children’s fort, you could probably add
two or three extra levels to said fort with the bodies scattered across the picturesque
landscape. Despite living in a doublewide, Llewelyn is no dummy and manages to make
off with a satchel of cash – and this is after a few shots to the arm and multiple attack
dogs to boot.
Hot on the tail of Moss is man-of-fewer-words Anton Chigurh; clearly a name that
intentionally suggests unstoppable Lovecraftian Elder Gods destroying both eternity and infinity. Chigurh is the perfect assassin, an angel of death who swears by fate to the point
where he’ll challenge someone’s life by coin toss – not to play with a person, but because
it applies to his own twisted, cold logic. It seems like a simple game of cat-and-mouse
and maybe that’s just what the film is – an elegant chase film that’s packed with the
unexpected-though-generally-assumed twists and turns and character moments that the
Coen brothers are known for (for reference, I have yet to read any McCarthy because
books are for girls, so I can’t tie that thought into the man’s writing), but the Coens fill
the film repeatedly with scenes that just scream perfection, along with equal amounts of
calculated frustration.
 No Country For Old Men plays with expectations, dangling the payoff carrot and
retracting it in intriguing ways. There’s no showdowns. The main actors don’t even share
any screen time together. Do you even deserve a showdown? Tommy Lee Jones manages
to ambush the entire movie, a fact that might not be as surprising considering they now
implicate it on the summary of the back of the DVD case. In fact, Jones works as
bookends for the film, entering and exiting the film like some sort of hillbilly Crypt
Keeper, only more Tommy Lee Jones-y.
In fact, while serving as the thematic lynchpin of the film, Tommy Lee Jones, while
being pitch-perfect in the role, still manages to take me out of the film due to the fact that
he’s Tommy Lee Jones. It might be me trying to find something to nit-pick about, but it’s
the truth: Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem manage to escape in their roles of manly
manliness (Javier Bardem especially strikes me as impressive, but that might be because
my father sported that exact same haircut in the ‘80s, He also killed people), but Tommy
Lee Jones has been, is and always will be Tommy Lee Jones, no matter what role he’s in
and no matter how good he is in that role. Whether or not No Country For Old Men will continue to be seen as best picture-caliber and not just a hiccup in the Academy’s choosing process has yet to be seen, but I
find it to be the Coen brothers’… I don’t want to say strongest, but it certainly feels like
their most consistent, even the quirkier moments feel organic rather than being some
foot-dangling-from-a-wood-chipper punch line.
 Presentation
No Country For Old Men is probably the Coen brothers’ second brownest film, only
second to Barton Fink. Barton Fink favored lush (well, as lush as brown can be)
chocolate-y hues, while No Country For Old Men prefers a tanner, more washed out
sense of brown, resembling baked, cracked earth. The presentation is so nice, you might
find yourself trying to spit out windswept dust that the film conveys so heavily. If you’re
looking for color, this is not the film to go to, and the transfer – sharp as nails might I
add, especially when you’ve got Tommy Lee Jones’ face wrinkled apple-head on display
– displays the style in a most pleasing way. Let’s just say that when I upgrade to Blu-Ray
in the year 3030, this is going to be one of the first discs I’m going to pick up.
 Now, the sound design of the film is important, but not in the way you would expect.
Ambient silence is a crucial element in the film, and nearly all forms of traditional music
have been eliminated, and what you have is a horribly subtle little film, meaning that
while you’re getting the film in a full 5.1 surround sound mix, I don’t feel as if I’ve
missed anything by watching this film through the busted speakers on this television I got
for free. The mix is proper, with its outbursts of dialogue matching the outbursts of
violence blow by blow. This is a film that doesn’t have to feature a 90-piece orchestra to
communicate a sense of epic grandeur, hell you could probably turn your speakers off
and still get a feel for what the film is – no matter how you experience the movie, it will
deliver its ideas to you.
 Extras
As one assumes from a Coen Brothers disc, we’ve got a few select bonus features that
feel rather scant in comparison to some of the bigger special editions I’ve managed to
score for the sight. Hell, let’s just say that the Coens even show up in The Making Of No
Country For Old Men, which is surprising, as these guys tend to side on the old-crazy-recluse side. Working With The Coen Brothers attempts to de-mystify the two via
interviews with the actors, but basically we find out that Joel and Ethan apparently work
well with each other, big whoop. Finally, Diary Of A County Sheriff concentrates on
Tommy Lee Jones; his character more specifically, and how he ties into the film’s whole.
Overall, the extras are discardable at best – stick to the film. Wait for the Forever Young
special edition.
The Bottom Line
While still creating the types of films that can easily be described as Coen Brothers films,
Joel and Ethan have seemingly managed to find the perfect match for their own darker,
less whimsical fetishes. I bet I’ll still like it a few years down the road, too!
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