No Country for Old Men-Reviewed

Set in West Texas, a man on the run with a suitcase full of money is pursued by a number of individuals.

Director: Joel and Ethan Cohen

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Western and Adaptation

Running Time: 2 hrs. 2 min.

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Beth Grant, Garret Dillahunt

For the first nine-tenths of the movie, this has it all, a good story line, great acting, and drama that holds your interest. Then ten minutes before the end, it seems to wander aimlessly, unsure of its next move. This ending will disappoint most movie-goers…and with good reason. Maybe they are setting it up for a sequel. Either way, its no way to finish.

Acting-wise, I have nothing but admiration for every member of the cast, including those who played Chigurh’s victims. But the pairing of Jones, Bardem, and Brolin is brilliant. Jones, like John Wayne before him, plays one note so well that it doesn’t need to change it. And yet he allows us to really look into this disillusioned lawman who cannot understand what he sees to be a more violent world evolving away from his ideas of civility. If I could, I would nominate both Brolin and Bardem for Best Actor. Bardem would easily win since his character has more to play with, more charisma, and more interest. But I loved how Brolin allowed his character to come off as fully dimensional without saying much. Special mention must be made to Garrett Delahunt who plays the thankless part of Jones’ deputy. He’s partially comic relief, but not at the expense of the character as so many deputies in films.

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