Watch your back because there’s a new evil, hardcore, mean-to-the-bone bad guy in town! As disturbing as this may sound, the one that holds this movie together are Javier’s chilling performance and the exceptionally brilliant script that… the Coen Brothers came up with. I’m an admirer of Coen Brothers’ work (Fargo, The Big Lebowsky) and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN just puts them even more as powerhouse writers in Hollywood, more established than any duo screenwriters like Wes & Owen, the Nolan brothers, or even Matt & Ben.
A hunter (Brolin) stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and briefcase full of $2 million in cash. What comes after is a nightmare in a form of a psychotic killer, the kind that no one should never have to deal with.
Javier Bardem in this movie walks like a ghost, strangely hypnotic, his pale face, his low tone creepy voice, he can show up anywhere at anytime, he’s practically death himself collecting bodies from one place to another. His character is the new member of my list of all time’s movies’ baddest bad guys. You fear him and yet somehow you can’t keep your eyes off of him.
Tommy Lee Jones still has that wit of his, giving us humorous punch lines and comments in the midst of trouble and uncertainty.
Finders keepers, eh?! That mentality can get you in some deep S#it!!
Like I said, the script plays a big role in making this movie riveting. It’s interesting to see how the Coen brothers take their time in showing us how clever the bad guy can be in fixing himself or finding whatever and whomever he’s hunting. Not only that, most of the time we get pampered with the care for details during silent moments, when dialogue is not included, as the characters do their thing, is where we could really see how dangerously serious the problem has gotten.
The only thing that disappoints me is that it has an unsatisfying ending. I think it could’ve been handled differently in a way that gives more closure and conclusion rather than leaving some holes for more unanswered questions.
I think NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is a threat to other movies when it’s time for the Oscars next year.
* Place the cursor on the picture below to check my grade for this film
