No Country for Old Men (2007) - A+

"No Country for Old Men" is an absolutely brilliant film. I'm a huge Coen brothers fan, and if you forced me to pick, I would have to go with "No Country for Old Men" as their best movie. Based on a Cormac McCarthy novel (which I haven't read), "No Country for Old Men" chronicles the mayhem that ensues after Llewelyn Moss (played brilliantly by Josh Brolin) stumbles on the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad, and finds over $2 million in cash. He foolishly tries to keep the money, drawing the wrath of Anton Chigurh (an amazing portrayal by Javier Bardem). Tommy Lee Jones also has a significant role as the sheriff trying to catch up to Moss and Chigurh before even more violence ensues.

Looking back on it, it is surprising that I loved this movie. It's outlook is devastatingly nihilistic, which is usually a big turn off for me, and without perfect execution, it could easily have been a movie I couldn't connect with because I couldn't identify or sympathize with any of the characters.

The execution of the movie is incredible though. The cinematography is stunning, the script is brilliant, with lots of amazing moments of dark humor that help you swallow the nihilism at the heart of the movie, and the two lead performances are absolutely top flight. Javier Bardem is deservedly getting tons of kudos for his portrayal of Chigurh, including a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. His Chigurh is a spellbinding force of nature that you can't tear your eyes from when he is on screen. As monstrous as his character is, you find yourself utterly fascinated with him. You simply can't look away, as much as you might want to. Chigurh might be the single most memorable character of any movie in the last 10 years.

As great as Bardem is, though, in my heart of hearts I suspect that it is really Brolin's performance that holds the movie together. I'm not surprised that as far as awards go, Brolin's understated performance hasn't received much notice next to the supernova of Bardem's portrayal. For me, though, it is Brolin's character that keeps the movie from degenerating into a disgusting freak show. Moss is full of flaws. He makes many terrible decisions, leading to many horrific consequences, but throughout the movie, Brolin keeps giving you a peak at the innate decency that is buried deep within Moss. In the end, as much as you might consider Moss a fool who brought down disaster on all those around him, you simply can't help but like the man and identify with him. Without that, I think I would have walked away from the movie feeling that despite Bardem's brilliant performance and the wonderful script and directing by the Coen's, that the film was so relentlessly dark and despairing (and I tend to like dark movies), that it crushed all my ability to like or recommend the movie.

Even with Brolin's (and some of the other secondary characters as well) humanizing of the film, it's still not a movie that I would just jump to see again. If I was in the right frame of mind, definitely. But there are plenty of nights I wouldn't want to subject myself to the exquisite torture of seeing such a masterfully despairing film. If you can't stand dark movies, you'll probably hate the Coen's latest effort. If you have any tolerance for dark movies at all though, you don't want to miss the masterpiece that is "No Country for Old Men."

Final Grade: A+