Completely Random Movie Review: No Country for Old Men

Back and in the flesh after a 2 month hiatus, aren't you excited?!

Yea, I know no one is (haha...?) but i haven't had access to a computer for those 2 months, (which I'll be referring to from here on out as 'The Dark Time') so i haven't been able to post any of my unique brand of rambling reviews.

This little diddy is going to be on a newer movie, still out in theatres, the new Cohen Brothers flick 'No Country for Old Men'. Now this is a lot unlike any other Cohen movie I've ever seen, and seeing how they wrote, directed, and produced what might just be my favorite movie of all-time (The Big Lebowski), I will trust the Cohen's to dazzle me every time they put pen to paper or eyes to a camera, and No Country was no exception.

It was violent, dark, everything Cohen Brothers movies usually aren't, and featured a merciless and entirely creepy killer by the name of Anton, played by the fantastic Javier Bardem, who, I learned afterwards, is apparently a star in the international market, and deservedly so.

The whole movie just had this air about it that stood out, from the shots, to the dialogue, to the characters, it was all just, in a word, awesome. I found it was written in an odd way, where none of the major points that would be traditionally shown in a plot were actually shown. The death of a main character was seen afterwards, not when it actually occured, and another death we were entirely unsure of at the end. The major plot driver (Millions in drug money) was never really addressed in the end either, and was left somewhat in the air.

Normally, I would hate ambiguous things like this, but for some reason, maybe the Cohens, maybe Javier Bardem, I don't know, it worked very, very well in my mind. And when the ending came, it was at a point where part of me expected and hoped the credits would roll, but thought the movie could easily go another 15-20 mins.

I would recommend this movie to anyone that loves great acting, great dialogue and great shots, but I can also easily see why No Country could turn people off.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing it again, as there are little things that I'm sure I didn't pick up along the way, but that's generally true for any great movie, to be able to pick everything up it takes at least 2 runs through and maybe more.

Javier Bardem is going to be, and should be, breaking into the North American scene more now, and is actually getting Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Anton, which is surely justified, as a creepier killer doesn't easily come to mind.

Tommy Lee Jones was at the perfect time in his career for this role as well, the aging cowboy that just doesn't understand the world anymore, and Josh Brolin was fantastic as the man who randomly runs across the money and then lays his life, and the life of his wife, on the line to save it as if it was his child.

To sum everything up, No Country for Old Men was one of the better movies I've seen in 2007, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting a cineplex in the next few weeks.

Until next time (Hopefully not 2 months) this is your random, rambling reviewer, Red Star, signing off...