Review of No Country for Old Men (2007) by Anthony H — 24 Jun 2013

The most serious and critically lauded film to come out of the Coen brothers' oeuvre, it still has the haunted, vacant appeal of their earlier films. Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy, showing every slow, methodical, meaningful point so easily, and yet creating a distinguished, quiet air of thought.

There is very little dialogue to this film, surprising since the Coens are most famous for chatty characters that rely their own quirky sensibilities. This is not to say that the Coens haven't used silence to show fear, dishonor, or even hatred at many points (most notably in "Barton Fink" and "Miller's Crossing") but instead of stifling and uncomfortable silences they're reflective at many junctures.

Set in the desert and plains of Texas, there are many panoramic shots of the outlying surroundings of these places that oftentimes show the aloneness of the lead character, Llewelyn Moss, and his disconnect from help while he hides and fights against his predator.

Moss is the prey in this cat and mouse chase, and what is so fundamentally interesting about his plight is that he oftentimes outwits the man who is following him. That person is Anton Chigurh, a contract killer who hunts down Moss, trapping him time and again and yet failing often.

Though Anton is obviously going to win out against the irresponsible and slow Moss, Moss doesn't give up and ends up holding his own. Anton in turn is one of the most interesting and full bodied villains to be onscreen in some time.

Though he operates on the same level as any other killer, the serial killer mentality of having rules and patterns towards his kills presents itself to the viewer in various ways, the most memorable being a coin toss to choose life or death.

This is a multi-layered and large scale game of wits, and though not the traditional good versus bad narrative it does present unorthodox views of morality. Though Sheriff Bell does track Anton as well, he cannot chase down someone so malicious and without a sense of right and wrong.

This is not an indication that evil has won, because the sheriff simply can't keep up thanks in part to his old age. Even Anton is not a clear villain because though he does kill indiscriminately he sometimes gives the option of redemption, and lets fate dictate many of his actions.

He kills when he needs to, and oftentimes doesn't even want to thanks to his own code of cleanliness, reliance, and self-preservation. This film will blow you away with the complexity of the narrative and how interesting and poignant the plights of the characters truly are.