Directors/ Producers: Joel and Ethan Coen
Studio: Paramount
Release Year : 2007
retrospect and screening by Paul Taglianetti
Faculty instructor/ Idyllwild Arts Academy
After the disappointment of Intolerable Cruelty and the remake of The Ladykillers, The Coen Brothers decided to returned to the blood stained soil of their roots with No Country For Old Men. Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy (Author of the equally violent Blood Meridian), the film follows the path of Llewelyn Moss, an ex-army vet, who stumbles across the spoils of a drug deal gone bad in the middle of a remote Texas desert. Eventually his escape trail is picked up by Anton Chigurgh (an Oscar winning performance by Javier Bardem) a relentless, laconic assassin hired to retrieve the found satchel of cash found by Moss. What follows is a ruthless cat and mouse game taking place along the Rio Grande border between Texas and Mexico.
The Coen brothers stylistically return to the dark, almost noir-ish look of their first feature Blood Simple. Shadows and shapes form eerie motifs in every corner of the frame. Everyday occurrences like the crumpling of a bag of peanuts seems ominous. The Coen's do not rely on typical conventions of the Hollywood thriller to put you at unrest. there is no incidental music, no jump-cuts to excentuaute the surprise moments. Just raw, undiluted tension. As one character remakes to Moss near the end of the film: "Well no one see that coming," and when then end comes, we don't. NCFOM is full of surprises and riddles. And no easy answers
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| Javier Bardem's Oscar winning performance as Anton Chigurgh |
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| No country for Old Men spoof on The Simpsons |
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| Josh Brolin as Lewelyn Moss |
NCFOM is an unrelenting study of the dehumanizing effect that violence has on a society. It paints its landscape with bold colors to enhance mood and feeling of dread. It represents some of the best work that the Coens have done in their illustrious careers. It may be familiar terrian for them, but Ill take that walk with them anytime.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Country_for_Old_Men_(film)
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