No Country for Old Men

The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a deceptively simple story on the surface, it is only in it's final moments that you begin to realize just how complex it really is. Set up as a chase movie, it becomes more about fate and facing death as the story progresses. Don't get me wrong, this is as exciting and intense as any other film this year, just something more sneaks in from the corners and sticks with you long after the movie is over. This is as good a film as the Coen's have ever made.

No Country is also surprisingly funny. It features a villain as evil and frightening as anyone since Hannibel Lecter but some of the scenes with him become so tense that it becomes funny. You laugh, then you feel bad for doing so. These is even a scene where Tommy Lee Jones' character reads a horrific newspaper article to his deputy who then begins to laugh. Jones response, "That's okay, sometimes I laugh too".

The performances across the board are all top notch. Javier Bardem as the aforementioned bad guy is somehow able to portray all these terrifying traits while never changing his expression. Josh Brolin also strikes the right tone as a man who makes a decision then must face the consequences of that decision. Tommy Lee Jones is flawless as the sheriff, his opening and closing monologues perfectly set up and expand on all the themes found within the film.

There are individual scenes in the movie, and I'm not really sure how to describe this, that the characters are smarter than most other movie characters. They actually use common sense. Whether it be the hiding of a satchel or determining where a wounded man would rest, it is a simple thing that makes a big difference.

Another small item that caught my attention is the sound design of the film. What little music within is very minimal, but the Coen Brothers' use the natural sounds of the surrounding area to create a far greater suspense. Even in simple scenes such as a character alone in a cheap motel room the let the sounds of the outdoors seep into the room, just as they would in real life.