No Country for Old Men

I'm a HUGE fan of the Coen Brothers. Even some of their less successful movies always leave me delighted because they dare play around with tone and audience expectations. Who but this brotherly team would attempt a movie like THE LADYKILLERS or MAN WHO WASN'T THERE? But in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, they return to their true forte...the crime thriller. Although my personal favorite is RAISING ARIZONA...it is probably true that in decades from now the Coens will be best remembered and admired for BLOOD SIMPLE, FARGO, MILLER'S CROSSING and now their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's bleak Southwest thriller. NO COUNTRY...tells the story of how one simple man (Josh Brolin), out on a hunting trip somewhere in the vast emptiness of west Texas, stumbles across the scene of a drug deal gone bad. Empty pickup trucks, dead men everywhere, and one lone survivor. This dying man asks for water (which Brolin doesn't have) and then Brolin finds a big bag full of about $2 million. He takes the money, not really thinking about the consequences. We find that he lives in a single wide mobile home with his attractive but too compliant wife. We think Brolin is a simple and probably heartless man...but when he decides he needs to go back and give that dying man some water...his moment of kindness is his undoing. He is discovered and soon his is identified. Now he's being hunted by the authorities, the drug dealers and most awfully, he's being chased by Anton Chugurh (Javier Bardem), who could be one of the most malevolent serial killers / hitmen in movie history. Brolin sends his family into hiding and goes on the run himself. He hops from one rundown hotel room to another, leaving a trail of death and violence following him. And drawing ever closer is Bardem...calm, steady and absolutely convinced that he will recover the money and kill the man who took it. Trying to sort everything out is Tommy Lee Jones as the local sheriff, who feels that not only is he in over his head (although we see very early on that he has a native instinct and craftiness for his work that actually make s him a pretty brilliant investigator)...but he feels that society itself has moved on without him. The scenes of violence he encounters are beyond anything he's experienced. He is afraid, but worse than that, he is spiritually shaken. These three men, and a host of supporting characters (including a well-cast Woody Harrelson) chase each other around...and just the chase itself would make an entertaining film. But what we have here is a film that makes us smell the desperation, feel the emptiness and loneliness of the landscape AND the people who live there. This is a brutal and non-compromising film. It's so great because it is splendidly entertaining...and yet it fills you with a tension that goes beyond the simple plot developments. In a way, we begin to feel about the events much the same way that Tommy Lee Jones feels. We are invited into his inner turmoil...and we feel it. And as always, the Coens are utter masters of tone. They know exactly how funny they want humorous scenes to be and exactly how to turn tension up and down. Then just up and up and up. It is a VERY well acted film. Bardem will almost certainly be nominated for an Oscar...and he deserves it. What a role! He's a complete success at conveying emptiness. He kills with no pleasure...but he has also made killing his first line of action in almost any situation. I guess he's just learned that this is the best way to solve problems and get people out of the way. Bardem is riveting. It's a complete cliché to say "you can't keep your eyes off him," but I'm comfortable reporting that for me, I couldn't keep my eyes off him. It's a brilliant creation of McCarthy's...interpreted by the Coen Brothers and then brought to amazing life by Bardem. Brolin gives by far his finest performance. With this performance and his role in AMERICAN GANGSTER, he must now be taken seriously as an actor. Jones is the ONLY actor who could have played his part...he's that good and that iconic. What other actor do we know who should be playing a grizzled Texas lawman in the modern age? Robert Duvall perhaps? Other than that, the list only includes Jones. I must warn you...you almost certainly will not like the ending. McCarthy has never felt the need to wrap up his stories in a tidy package (doing so would in fact undo much of what he's trying to say about life) and the Coens have not shied away from his vision. I found the ending a little jolting myself...until I took the time to reflect on what it meant and how it made me feel. Then I understood a little better how brilliant it was. This is easily one of the most satisfying, most artistically mature and most viscerally entertaining movies of the year! A triumph for the Coen Brothers!

The powerful novels of Cormac McCarthy may lend themselves to interpretation on film and No Country for Old Men has been successfully translated by the Coen brothers and is a superb work of art in its own right. In an interview in a recent magazine, McCarthy indicated he was pleased with the translation of his novel into a film, saying that the film captured the novel. The direct, bleak, no frills dialogue that is a characteristic of McCarthy's novels is captured in the dialogue in the film. Both the novel and the film are disturbing, not only for violent content but also for the philosophical underpinning of the novel and film. As the literary critic Harold Bloom notes, the violence in McCarthy's work is not gratuitous, but plays and essential role in the underlying message and theme of the work. I hope to focus on this underlying philosophy in this review. The story is that of an everyman, a self contained competent American male against forces that are overpowering even for his rugged native ingenuity. Llewelyn Moss, played superbly by Josh Brolin, discovers where a drug deal gone bad has left all parties (both men an dogs) dead on the field, with neither the money or the drugs taken away. He finds 2 million dollars in payoff money and takes it. However, he violates a basic premise, often explored in the novels of John Bowles, that he should follow his instincts and never second guess himself in such a risky situation. Llewelyn is troubled by the cry of a dying Mexican drug dealer for water and so he fills up an empty milk jug and goes back to the scene of the crimes to give he man water. What a mistake this is and what a price he pays. He is soon pursued by a paid killer, Chigurh, played perfectly by Javier Bardem. He sends his wife to his mother-in-law's home and tries to escape the, and embarks on an escape, leaving his wife Carla (Kelly Macdonald) to escape the pursuit of Chigurh. Because of the string of killings, Chigurh is being tracked by the local sheriff, played by Tommy Lee Jones. The sheriff becomes somewhat of a narrator and commentator upon the events as they unfold. Chigurh is also followed by a hitman, played by Woody Harrelson, who works for one of the criminal parties left empty handed after the desert shoot out. Much terror follows, making for an intense and suspenseful film that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. But who and what is Chigurh? Many, in fact the majority, of reviewers see him as a homicidal maniac, as insane, a psychopathic murderer. But he is more than that. He appears in other McCarthy novels as other similar characters. The most obvious is Judge Holden in the frightening novel Blood Meridian. As Harold Bloom points out, this character is also that of Achilles in The Iliad by Homer. He is the embodiment of the dark animalistic homicidal nature of mankind which like tornadoes and earthquakes and hurricanes, is part of nature, is a force of nature, is often unavoidable, and which follows the rules of natural forces and not the rules of man. He also follows the rules of chance rather than the rules of man, as evidenced by his use of a flip of a coin to determine who may live or die. It is the worn-out and wise Sherriff that senses this in his pursuit of the killer Chigurh and his gathering of the endless clues that point to both the brutality and cruelty of Chigurh. The Sherriff has a dialogue with an estranged relative about the death of one of their ancestors, a lawman, who is killed in the line of duty. The comments of the Sherriff and his dialogue with family members and colleagues, reveals his philosophy that this evil force will burn itself out, reach some point of conclusion, and will move away. This is a very different view of how evil should be dealt with in Western, and specifically American culture, where we must fight evil until the bitter end rather than seeing evil as a storm that will one day move on. The strength of the film is absolute fidelity to this philosophy on the nature of evil. With a compelling story, superb acting, penetrating dialogue, and the ability to challenge thoughtful viewer's preconceived notions, this film is excellent.

Beautifully dark movie, well acted!

Such a awesome film A must-have for my 4K collection.

The latest outing by the Coen Brothers is a chilling mix of horror, film noir, thriller, western, and yes even comedy, (Tommy Lee is always a stitch) but still remaining true to the twisted vision of the very entertaining work of these rather unorthodox artists. No Country For Old Men is somewhat reminiscent of Blood Simple, their first outing, but infinitely more bloody. When I first viewed it in the theater, quite frankly I was NOT well for the ending. Absolutely no loose ends were tied up. A subsequent viewing helped me realize it was for the best. How the story ends becomes very much an individual affair, especially when the Brothers themselves veered from the original novel ending. When the interpretation of a work is totally up to the viewer, that, of course, always makes for a more compelling artistic presentation simply because the art does not do your thinking for you: this one is no different. Hands down, the most salient aspect of this was the performance of Javier Bardem and his Oscar was, in my humble opinion, well-deserved. His disturbing calm was most disconcerting. You did not (or more aptly, COULD not) invest anything into him emotionally. This was indeed deliberate. There was no need to, actually, to adequately present the story. Even Llewellen (Josh Brolin's character) you felt something for, and Tommy Lee Jones, who, regardless of the character, ALWAYS manages to make you care about him, was probably the most fleshed-out character. Actually the movie was not as slow as one is led to believe...it is most deliberate and since the Brothers get right to the point at the very beginning, you are indeed intensely involved with how this will play itself out. To be perfectly honest, this is hardly the best Coen brothers outing; the advance buzz vomited such phrases as "the greatest thing the Coens have done," "a masterpiece," "monumental achievement," blah, blah, blah; Realizing that this is the nature of the publicity beast, my immediate reaction upon my first viewing was "It was good but certainly not all that." If you are a Coen Brothers fan, you will certainly appreciate it. If not, it is still a decent movie. Whether it deserves to be picture of the year is certainly debatable.

This is one of those movies that divides moviegoers. Love it. Hate it. Few fall in between. Some reject it because it fails to promote the promise of a righteousness path. Some embrace it as an affirmation of life's randomness. Whatever. The most objective thing I can say to those who have not yet seen it is that "No Country for Old Men" is not for those who seek the promise of a happy ending. Nor is it for those wishing to wallow in absolute darkness. It is perhaps best suited to those open to the possibility that life, no matter how we lead it, is incalculable. As the protagonist, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, opines: "Even in the contest between man and steer, the outcome is uncertain." The world of "No Country for Old Men" rewards no one code, or set of rules by which to live life. Good country people who work at Wal-Mart, pay their bills on time and take care of their mamas are, in the end, promised no better an outcome than are murderous psychopaths. Time and again, "No Country for Old Men" demonstrates this lack of a guarantee. Survival, success, fairness -- roll the dice as gently or as roughly as you want. It doesn't matter. The dice have no say. Still, "No Country for Old Men" is filled with characters who live life by their own unique set of rules. In fact, the story's biggest proponent of such rules is the antagonist, Anton Chigurh, a vicious killer who repeatedly promotes the importance of honoring one's word and toeing a defined line. This, some might say, proves the cliché about a method in madness, but Chigurh, like even the most vicious real-life villains, does not believe he's mad. To him, his way is the only way. He preaches it like a man of God, telling one soon-to-be-dead victim: "If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?" The sheriff also subscribes to a code, though he doesn't go so far as to define it as such. He makes no assumptions, follows the law, follows the evidence, and wastes no time posturing or putting on airs. Rather, he surveys a series of ever-more-violent acts occurring in the world around him and repeatedly concedes that he does not understand. This admission of ignorance is particularly admirable when contrasted with statements made by his counterpart, a hitman who's also in pursuit of the antagonist, Chigurh. Unlike the sheriff, the hitman believes he understands the nature of this particular evil: "He's a psychopathic killer, but so what? Plenty of them around." Divergent paths, but both intended to lead their followers to the same destination. Then there's the driver of all action from the start of the story, the deuteragonist, Llewellyn Moss, an out-of-work war veteran whose view of the world is shared through the camera's lens. Before we see any part of Moss, we see what he sees through the scope of his rifle while he's sighting prey in the desert. We hear him fire a shot, then fume over his failure to achieve an instantaneous kill. We follow him as he follows the blood trail of his prey to its unexpected intersection with a second blood trail. This is the first turning point and Moss' choice to follow the second trail in reverse -- away from the limping, bleeding dog that created it, and toward wherever the injury occurred -- is the first in a series of choices that quickly transform Moss from hunter to the bleeding prey. "No Country for Old Men" is brilliant storytelling, whether it be the book by Cormac McCarthy, or the Coen Brothers' adaptation for the screen. Momentum builds steadily from the start, in conflict after conflict, to the point of no return and beyond. The chase that ensues consumes Act II and moves us quickly along to the climax, as well as to an inspired denouement. Few movies succeed on as many levels as "No Country for Old Men." In my opinion, it deserved every Oscar it received.

Here is one of the best pictures of the year. Another film alongside "There Will Be Blood" and "The Assassination of Jesse James" where the cinematography will make you sweat. Examining the opening moments, it's no wonder why. The shots of a vast, unforgiving landscape accompanied by a voiceover by Tommy Lee Jones, who's voice speaks with experience and wonder, assuring us that this is no country for old men. What can be said about the Coen brother's that has not been said already? Everyone and their cousin knows they make tremendous films, amongst them "Fargo" and the incomparible "Miller's Crossing." With "No Country," they've adapted a grainy, modern western novel into a grainy, contemporary cinema about the nature of men in a world that knows of unspeakable crime, and therefore, no body speaks of it. Amid all the film's magnificent set pieces, performances and violent swagger, the best thing it has going for it is the screenplay, adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel, using much of the original text. Here is rare experience when seeing the film is more exciting than reading the book, because the dialogue, so rich with earnest subtext is spoken by actors who know precisely how to deliver a line and precisely what it means, even when what it means isn't what is said. Examine the scene at the roadside gas station, much appreciated by Roger Ebert, where Anton Chigurh has a discussion with the attendant. We know Chigurh would have no qualms about killing the man, we've seen him kill, and as a character later states, would kill this man just for "inconveniencing" him. Attend well to the look Chigurh gives him when he leaves, the way he raises his brow at the man. We know exactly the reason he gives him this look even when the attendant doesn't. Notice I have mentioned barely anything of the plot. That would serve little purpose with this film about to hit DVD. I urge you to go and read the book, and then watch the film, and see for yourself why this is absolutley the best adapted screenplay of the year. The plot itself is half the fun, or maybe even 40 percent. I found myself not so much concerned with the plot, but how its moved through by these characters. The ensemble cast is filled out perfectly with Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson and the calmly frightening Javier Bardem, speaking with a persian accent that is almost scarier than his amazing tracking ability. These are actors who know the score, playing characters who either know the score, or are completely clueless about what the score is. And can someone please tell me why Josh Brolin was overlooked for an Oscar nomination? The Coen's have constructed a film that is intensely satisfying on every aspect. After two viewings, all the magnificant parts of the film still have not sunk in. Some may find the violence too gratuitous or the character's too unwholesome, but as the title suggests before you buy the ticket, this is a film about the darkest parts of human nature, winning out over the best parts of it. For those dissatisfied by the film's ending, I put it to you to contact Mr. McCarthy and suggest a better one. One could see Cormac McCarthy reflected in the Sheriff Belle role, only someone who has witnessed such senseless crime could write so vividly of it. Or perhaps not, because the Coen's have long been gifted at dipicting it.

Monumental

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Ich kann es eigentlich garnicht in Worte fassen, wie grandios dieser Film ist. Wenn es um die Wahl meiner absoluten Lieblingsfilme gehen würde, wäre dieses Kunstwerk mit Sicherheit auch dabei. Diesen Streifen kann man immer zu jeder Zeit kucken und er wird nie langweilig. Das erste mal bin ich damals auf diesen Film gestoßen, als er vor einigen Jahren im TV lief. Es ist einer von wenigen Filmen bei dem ich während des durchzappen im Programm hängen geblieben bin. Es ist einfach unglaublich wie es dieser Film schafft, vor lauter Spannung den Zuschauer am Bildschirm zu halten. Es konnte natürlich auch nicht lange dauern, bis ich mir diesen Film dann fürs Heimkino zugelegt habe. Erst auf DVD und mitterweile auch auf Blu-Ray. Und ich habe diese Käufe bis heute nicht bereut. ZUR STORY: Auf der Jagd von Böcken stößt Llewelyn Moss nur eher zufällig auf den verlassenen Tatort eines Massenmordes, mitten in der Wüste von Texas. Mehrere Leichen am Boden, einen mexikanischen Truck voller Drogen und einen liegen gebliebenen Koffer voller Geld, lassen drauf deuten, dass hier wohl ein Drogendeal geplatzt ist und sich die Gangster gegenseitig erschossen haben. Nur ein schwer Verletzter Typ der zu verdursten droht, scheint wohl der einzigste überlebende Zeuge des Vorfalles zu sein. Moss überlegt nicht lange, nimmt den Geldkoffer an sich und verschwindet damit. Als es dunkel wird, traut er sich aber wieder an den Tatort zurück, um dem Schwerverletzen einen Kanister Wasser zu bringen. Er ahnt allerdings nicht, das mitterweile auch das mexikanische Drigenkartell am Ort des Geschehens angekommen ist, um das Geld und die Drogen sicher zu stellen. Als sie Llewelyn Moss dort entdecken, beginnen sie eine Jagd auf ihn. Zwar kann er zunächst einmal noch entkommen, sicher ist er aber noch lange nicht. Die Mexikaner beauftragen kurz drauf den skrupellosen Auftragsmörder Anton Chigurh damit, den Koffer zu finden und Llewelyn Moss zu töten. Es beginnt eine Jagd auf Leben und Tot. Es dauert nicht lange und auch der Sheriff Ed Tom Bell wird zu diesem Tatort gerufen. Er findet schnell heraus was hier passiert ist und macht nun auch Jagd auf den Killer um ihn zu stoppen, und natürlich auch Jagd auf Moss um ihn zu beschützen. ZUR BEWERTUNG: Dieser Film ist ein Meisterwerk und wurde nicht umsonst mit 4 Oscars ausgezeichnet. Die Meisterregiseure und Drehbuchauthoren Ethan und Joel Coen haben hier wiedereinmal bewiesen, welche Genies sie doch sind. Ich glaube „No Country for old man“ war auch der entscheidende Grund, warum ich entgültig Fan der Coen Brothers geworden bin. Zuvor kannte ich zar schon „Fargo“ und „Millers Crossing“ die ja auch schon extrem gut sind, aber „No Country for old man“ ist glaube ich nochmal das i-Tüpfelschen ihrer Filme. Einzigartiges Drehbuch, gute Handlung, wunderbare Landschaften und extrem viel Spannung, machen diesen Film wirklich zu einem Meisterwerk. Daher liebe ich amerikanisches Kino einfach über alles. Auch die schauspielerische Leistung der Darsteller ist echt unglaublich gut. Josh Brolin, der den Llewelyn Moss verkörpert spielt seine Rolle einfach so gut, dass man teilweise sogar mitfiebert sobald er irgendwo in Gefahr steckt. Auch Javier Bardem, der den skrupellosen Killer Anton Chigurh spielt, kommt einem teilweise so furchteinflößend rüber, dass man denkt dieser Typ ist auch im echten Leben so krass. Zu guter letzt darf natürlich auch nicht der gute alte Tommy Lee Jones fehlen, der hier die Rolle des Sheriffs Ed Tom Bell übernimmt und jagd auf den Killer sowohl auch auf Llewelyn Moss macht. Diese Rolle passt wiedereinmal wie die Faust auf Auge. Denn Tommy Lee Jones in der gewohten Rolle eines Polizisten zu sehen, erinnert mich sofort an andere Filme wie z.B. Auf der Jagd, Auf der Flucht, Doppelmord oder auch Man in Black. Ich glaube niemand anderes hätte besser in die Position des Gesetzeshüters gepasst wie Tommy. Obwohl dieser Film mit seiner Laufzeit von 122 Minuten schon sehr lange ist, kommt es einem trotzdem vor als sei nach 70 Minuten schon Schluss. Der Film ist eben zu keiner Sekunde langweilig. MEIN FAZIT: Ich bewerte hier alleine den Film. Auf Qualität möchte ich eigentlich nicht großartig eingehen. Aber ich empfinde die Blu-Ray Qualität eigentlich sehr angenehm. Den Vergleich zur DVD kann ich jetz nicht ziehen, da ich die Unterschiede jetzt nicht mehr so in Erinnerung habe. Aber besser als die DVD scheint die Bildqualität auf Blu-Ray schon zu sein. Bei den Tonformaten stehen außer deutsch, französich, italienisch und spanisch natürlich auch der Originalton englisch zur Verfügung. Alle natürlich auch in Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound. Es kleines Manko gibt es in diesem Film allerdings schon, denn gegen Ende passiert etwas sehr unerwartetes. Es kommt zu einer Wende, in der plötzlich und ohne Vorwarnung etwas drastisches passiert womit man eigentlich garnicht rechnet. Meiner Meinung nach geht das alles auf einmal viel zu schnell, sodass man erst garnicht richtig realisieren kann, was ganau da jetz eigentlich passiert ist. Während man die ganze Story fast einundhalb Stunden lang spannend und langsam durcherzählt, versucht man hier am Ende alles ganz schnell zum Finale zu bringen, weil der Film sonst wahrscheinlich zu lange geworden wäre. Zumindest ich habe die Befürchtung das dies der Grund gewesen sein könnte. Aber auch in anderen Rezesionen wird sich über das plötzliche und viel zu schnelle Ende beschwert, da bin ich ja nicht der einzige. Dennoch verliert dieser Film daduch nicht an Qualität und hat seine 5 Sterne auf jeden Fall verdient. ich spreche hier eine klare Kaufempfehlung aus.

Brand new in clear wrapper as advertised. The shipping was fast and movie was a great price. As for the movie itself, its a good movie, slower then a normal action movie, but the story is great, acting is great. Watch it if you haven't

Un peliculón de los hermanos coen en perfecto castellano, la mejor opción dado que está descatalogada en España, y a precios prohibitivos. Contiene Extras también con subtitulos en español de España. %10

Super Movie, avec des acteurs fabuleux. Je conseil.