No Country for Old Men

Last night I finally made the trip out to the movie theater to see the highly acclaimed, super buzzed about movie No Country for Old Men. After hearing so many Hitchcock references to the Coen Brothers recent work I was probably the most excited I have been in a long time to see a film. Needless to say it lived up to most of my expectations when all was said and done.

Javier Bardem's potrayal of the sick, psychotic killer certainly deserves an Oscar. His voice alone is so horrifically gut wrenching it pushes you to the edge of the seat every time he makes an appearance. Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Kelly MacDonald all deserve the same acclaim as Bardem. Everyone contributed their best efforts to making the film a memorable one.

The acting jobs were not the only well done thing in the film. The cinematography in the movie was breathtaking. There was simply no better way to capture the barren, dead landscape of the western Texas abode then what the brothers were able to catch. It simply completed the film and made it for what it was.

However, while there are elements of the film that are truly noteworthy, there are some that might confuse or strain the viewer. For example, the plot is very slow moving; there is no suspenseful music and quick cuts building up to a huge action sequence. Everything is very suttle which of course probably is too little for any movie goer expecting a tremendous, on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Also, it is a little more gorey then I expected so anyone of the faint of heart or doesn't like blood probably will get a little more than they bargained for.

Additionally, the towards the end of the movie (I'm going to try not to ruin the ending) don't expect much. This all might be a huge buzzkill if you are the average movie goer. Not to mention, the end is somewhat confusing and if you really want to understand the movie you might need to sit down for a few minutes afterwards and really try to analyze everything to get the grasp of the movie.

Other than that, if you have a really strong appreciation for film or if you want to go a movie that has some character (unlike every other movie these days), go see No Country for Old Men. You probably won't regret it!