No Country for Old Men

I hate to ratchet up the hyperbole on what is already a highly praised/rated film but I'm going to do so anyway. 'No Country for Old Men' is not only the best film I've seen this year but quite possibly the Coen Brothers' best film. Ever.

I suspect most of their fans won't embrace it the same way they do ‘Lebowski’ or ‘Fargo, largely because McCarthy’s source novel offers little in the way of affection or redemption for its main characters (to say nothing of its shockingly poor treatment of those in the periphery) . ‘No Country…’ is executed with such precision, detail, and nuance. Every frame is filled with elements of dark humour, suspense, horror, and intelligence. The dialogue is pitch perfect (better dressed dead bodies are conjectured to be ‘managerial types’, a half naked man in cowboy boots is asked how his footwear is working out for him), with characters spouting a equal measures of wisdom and humour in as few words as possible. The cast is incredibly strong, with particularly impressive turns from Tommy Lee Jones, as the world-weary lawman and Javier Bardem, as the 70s-coiffed killer (more on the doo below).

Looking back, I can't recall a scene that went on too long or didn't leave me hanging on what came next. That the film also contains—somewhat improbably, given the setting is rural Texas-- the most harrowing 'animal pursues human in water' sequence since Jaws (with perhaps a quicker, more cathartic resolution) is further evidence of the filmmakers’ genius, as is creating a chilling psychopath with a page-boy haircut.

I’ll say little about the storyline itself because I don’t want to ruin it for others. I will say that it does not conform to audience expectations and that it offers little for those who may be uncomfortable with a high body count and bloodshed. For everyone else...

Highly Recommend.