Ryan McNeil
Sometimes you need to hand the story over to the bad guy. Many audiences will cheer for good to triumph over evil, but when a man is so evil that he’s eee-villll, you just have to let him have his day. Such is the case with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the latest offering from Joel & Ethan Coen. The story is about a drug deal gone wrong, about the morally compromised bystander who uses it to his advantage, and about the bad man who is sent to track him down. You might wonder about the drug deal. You’ll probably be intrigued how long the morally compromised man can stay alive. But without a doubt, you won’t be able to take your eyes off the bad guy. A man who seems as methodical as Hannibal Lecter, and as unrelenting as The Terminator. A man who almost inspires a different title: NO COUNTRY FOR NICE GUYS.
Chigurh is the type of man who thinks three moves ahead of his opponent. He can figure out where you are, but he doesn’t care. What makes him so good at what he does, isn’t knowing where you are, but rather connecting that to where you just came from and knowing where you’ll go to next. What makes him even better at what he does, is that when you get to where you’re going next – he’s there waiting for you. While Chigurh is ruthless, he does have a sliver of decency – but even that sliver is a cold one. Every once in a while, he’ll offer his mark an out – but that out is to call a coin toss. It’s a merciless bargain, and one that would only be taken by the truly desperate.
Javier Bardem has been just off the radar for many mainstream audiences, and this will likely be his coming-out party for many. I was caught rather off guard by this dark performance, since the last movie I saw him in was one where he played such a tender and gentle part. He has eyes the size of dinner plates, and though he’ll frighten and disturb you in this film, you won’t be able to take your eyes away from his dark stare. He’s a versatile, and truly gifted actor, and if this movie compels you to seek out more of his work, go rent THE SEA INSIDE and watch what he accomplishes while flat on his back for two hours.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is a slight return to form for The Coen Brothers. After a few years spent making some slightly absurd movies, they have gone back to what they do best. The movie is intense and violent, but it is done in such a way that you can’t possibly look away. The writing is adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy of the same name, and many of the best lines are pulled from his text word-for-word, and many of those “best lines” are actually quite funny, and serve as a much needed break in this dark tale.
Interestingly, I’ve heard a lot of reaction about the ending. I won’t discuss it in any detail of course, but I will say that I thought it was an intriguing way to stop telling this grisly story. The ending actually reminded me of another famous and controversial ending, and in both cases your reaction to the ending will come down to the amount of closure you prefer. The movie is a dark, violent blood-bath, and will fit in nicely with the rest of the dark seriousness that 2007 will be remembered for. If you’re looking for an escape from all the candy-coatedness of the holiday season, check out NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and get ready to make way for the bad guy.