You Should Watch This Movie Because it's one of those movies where you don't quite know exactly what's going on while at the same time it's interesting. The movie, although slow, never slows down on the tension. You will be on the edge of your chair all the way until the very end. The stories interweave and connect with each other at certain points of the film and although some people will find the ending to be unsatisfactory, I think that's the whole point of the movie. But before we get into all that.
The reason you should watch this movie and the reason you should watch any movie is because it is entertaining. Anton Chigurh is entertaining in a scary sort of way and everyone else has their own sort of Texan charm. Although this film is pretty much a straight up adaptation of the novel with the same name, I believe there is no substitute for seeing Chigurh's big shotgun on screen. What's Hot: The dialog is back in Cohen fashion and it is so good to hear. There was plenty of nervous laughter whenever Chigurh made someone call a coin toss. It was sick and twisted and the audience loved every bit of it. As for the action, it is brutal and probably the closet thing to seeing someone get shot with a shot gun.
The story itself works nicely as it takes us through the journey of three men who are all after each other but also running away from the same thing: modern society. This film doesn't really have a bad guy if you think about it. Instead, it's all about the forces of modern society and how that has corrupted everyone. I think that is something we can all relate to because we are being subjected to it in our daily lives and sometimes or most of the time we feel helpless in our being and can't see an end to the madness that we somehow got into. What's Not Hot: The pacing is really slow at times. Or all the time. But I guess that was the intent but from an entertainment perspective it dragged the movie down. Some of the talking seemed self indulgent but if I can write dialog like that the entire movie would just be people talking. Some other minor things was how quickly the film glossed over what was going on. I had no idea who all the players were or what really happened in this drug deal. It's not a major thing as soon as you get into the story but when I think back on it, I really wished I knew exactly who everyone was. Or perhaps I just need to watch it again. Or perhaps it was the intention of the film that we don't know what's going on exactly because that's the way life is. You never really know what's going on in life but you live it the best way you know how and sometimes that's the wrong way but at least you're living right?
Last Comments: No Country for Old Men is all about society and the forces that move our hands for us. It's very sad and depressing which is reflected in the film by the lack of music and Chigurh's character.
While the action scenes are brutal and entertaining to watch, it's hard to not scratch your head at the ending. Sure, it could be all about life and how it never ends and society will continue to be all fucked up long after we're gone but from a film perspective it left a big vacuum and I can't help feel a bit robbed of a resolution. Sure there is never a resolution in life but film isn't life and as close to life as this film comes, I think that most audiences will feel cheated at how the characters turned out. Nonetheless, this film, as a film, is a treasure to have and definitely one of the most unique experiences anyone will have this year. And if you are a fan of guns, violence, drugs and smart talking, then go give this film a good look. Breaking It Down:
Story: 8.0 (Comac McCarthy: novel, Joel & Ethan Cohen: screenplay)
Direction: 8.8 (Joel & Ethan Cohen)
Acting: 8.6
Cinematography: 7.8
Sound: 7.0
Entertainment Value: 8.2 (not an average)
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