How did I miss this masterpiece? This is probably the latest movie review about No Country For Old Men, but I’ve been waiting for this movie ever since I was 17. Long story short, when I started getting into film, I yearned for a dastardly evil film that captures life’s injustices on good-hearted people. Granted that sounds very mentally unhealthy, but films that influenced me early on lie in the ranks of young Scorsese territory, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver , etc. Sure, I’ve lived through Japan’s Ichi the Killer, Battle Royale and Korea’s soul scarring Old Boy, but all those films lie in the realm of an almost unimaginable fantasy of ultra violence. Not to knock them (yes those films have leave images in my head that I can’t erase), but No Country For Old Men, is edited and refined like a custom tailored suit with a little bit of blood on the collar.
My lovely girlfriend just came back from a long flight from coast to coast and feel asleep on the couch. So, I had to watch the movie with headphones plugged in. The tension was killing me so much I had to turn the volume on my headphones. Each of Anton Chigurh’s sock covered footsteps sent bone chilling shivers down my spine. My heart was racing and my palms were instantly covered in salty sweat in no time. Sound design was amazing. Coupled with the stark landscape and empty hotel rooms, the audio was beyond perfection.
One of the most memorable scenes is when Anton is talking to the store clerk and holds the man’s life right in front of him with a coin flip. This freakin’ wrapper scene tore me apart. As Anton placed it on the counter all crumpled and it slowly expands. The sound of that wrapper expanding was like deafening silence. It captured all the tension like a 2 ton weight dangling above your head as you are tied in a chair and someone is slowly cutting the rope that holds that weight above your head. During that whole time, they are making small talk about what time you sleep and you have no idea that weight is above your head. Sheer brilliance.
Tommy Lee Jones’ narration at the beginning of the movie totally setup the whole storyline. His voice carries the frailty of humanity trying to grasp an evil that has no reason, no bearing in this world. It goes to show how much control Jones has as an actor. The ending scene is so disheartening and real. That look Jones delivers pierces your soul with such feeling of emptiness and hopelessness. The NYT artfully captures Jones in one sentence.
It is hard to do wisdom without pomposity, or probity without preening, but Mr. Jones manages with an aplomb that is downright thrilling.
There is just so much to say and it’s getting very late. I am in awe of the Coen Brother’s translation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel. If the movie is this good, the book must blow your mind. From the reviews I’ve read it sticks pretty true to the novel.
I highly recommend this film if you haven’t seen it. Not many films of this caliber ever make it to the silver screen. From sharp cinematography, to chair clinching sound design, and unforgettable dialogue and acting, this movie knocked my head off with an air compressor held by the Coen Brothers.
