In a small Texas town chaos ensues after one man, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), unfortunately stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong. When two million dollars ends up in his possession he finds himself on the run from a daunting man, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). No Country for Old Men is the dark tale of two men on opposite ends of the law as they navigate a world full of death and destruction. Who will come out victorious? Will anyone come out victorious?
Writer-Directors Ethan Coen and Joel Coen use sound to help tell a harrowing and powerful story. The slow burn of the sounds that reverberate throughout the course of No Country for Old Men helps to develop characters, scenes, and the film as a whole–and without it the film isn’t as full of as much power. Sound can be the most important part of a film; it can literally make or break it–and in the case of No Country for Old Men I’m not sure that the film could have been as successful without the perfect use of sound. From the light, subtle sound of the wind, to the deafening, nearly ear-piercing sound of a telephone, every second of No Country for Old Men is full of vigor and passion in a way that allows the entirety of film to flourish.
No Country for Old Men is a character-driven film, a film that contains a number of important characters that are well written and even better developed. The characters are honest; they are real representations of people in the world around us, constantly reminding us of people we know (in some obvious and not so obvious ways). Sure, each of these characters was developed for a book before that book was adapted into a screenplay–but those characters needed to be brought to life, developed in a way that they visually make sense as well. While the words on a page certainly allowed them the opportunity to come to life, the way in which they are developed throughout the course of No Country for Old Men, and the way in which each and every actor portrays them is far beyond what I believe even author Cormac McCarthy could have anticipated.
Llewelyn Moss:
I’ve read that Llewlyn is dimwitted, that he constantly makes decisions that ultimately hinder his ability to find success in the grand scheme of the film–but I never found this to be true. To be clear, he does make decisions that ultimately lead to his demise–but I don’t think they are made out of stupidity, I don’t think they are made because Llewelyn lacks intelligence. I found this character, the one that No Country for Old Men follows, to be charming. He’s full of conviction, and while he does constantly find himself in a series of binds, he typically gets himself out of them in a way that at least extends his stay. He’s fun, charming (in an odd way), and somewhat of an action hero. He’s overshadowed by only one character, Anton.
Carla Jean Moss:
In a lot of ways Carla Jean just seems to exist as a cog in a greater machine. She’s never frustrating or antagonistic, but she’s often simply there, and by the end of the film she’s used to develop Anton (and the other characters) just a tad further. Unlike the other characters she doesn’t make a lasting impression, she never does anything that really makes me think. No Country for Old Men is full of characters that are boisterous and passionate, and while Carla Jean has the ability to be either or both of those things, she is presented to viewers in a different light. She helps to propel those qualities in other characters, and she is essential to the plot. However, she could be forgotten just moments after No Country for Old Men concludes–and really, in the grand scheme of the film, her purpose is to develop others.
Ed Tom Bell:
While other characters have more screen time than Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), I believe that he’s the main character, that No Country for Old Men is his story. While Llewlyn and Anton hunt one another, Ed is always hunting the truth, always looking for answers–even if he knows they will always evade him. He’s hunting something far more real than the other characters. While it’s less tangible, it’s more important, and it often feels that he’s the most important person in the entire film. He’s past his prime, and he’s often seen trying to come to terms with his new reality, one where he’s no longer the authority, one where he can no longer be as physically dominant as he once was. He plays a physically smaller role than the others, but his importance to the underlying narrative is far beyond what anyone else could have brought to the table. Jones seems to be the perfect choice to play Ed–and a lot of that has to do with his voice. His voice is so unique, and he’s able to manipulate it just enough that viewers are able to be invited into his world and into the character. In a lot of ways the reason that viewers are able to appreciate Ed Tom Bell throughout the course of No Country for Old Men is his voice, because it’s his most prominent feature, and the reason that most of what he says makes its way to viewers.
Anton Chigurh:
Anton is everything that viewers could possibly ask for in a character, in a villain. Anton is powerful, domineering, passionate, angry, intelligent, resourceful, and more, and there are times when it’s difficult to explain how I feel about him. Rarely does perfection exist in the world around us, and for anyone who knows anything about me, I believe it exists even less in cinema. Anton, however, is a perfect character. He’s a brilliantly twisted representation of the real world, and his presence in No Country for Old Men is what ultimately drives the film forward. Is he the most important character in the film? Technically no–but what he brings to the table, what his character is able to represent, and Bardem’s ability to act opposite some other wonderfully talented individuals helps to make this movie what it is. While I truly believe that No Country for Old Men is about Ed Tom Bell, that he’s the main character, there is no doubt in my mind that without Anton Chigurh the film wouldn’t have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2008.
No Country for Old Men is a slow burn, taking time to develop (and ultimately remaining anticlimactic). That slow burn is a wonderful representation of life and of society–and The Coen Brothers do a damn-near perfect job of bringing it to life in just the right way. They use the source material to develop something cinematically stunning, audibly brilliant, and ultimately character based. While each of the characters are extreme, there are pieces of them strewn throughout No Country for Old Men that reflect the real world, where viewers are able to look at them and recognize their qualities in the people around us. Again, this film is character driven, with the story itself ultimately being inconsequential in the grand scheme of things–and every character delivers (even the ones that may initially seem to have little to no role). No Country for Old Men is stunning from the opening seconds, and it leaves viewers pondering its significance for days after it ends.
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen.
Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, & Cormac McCarthy.
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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