No Country For Old Men

Has anybody had the chance to see it? I got the chance to watch it this past Valentine's Day, and it's just ridiculous. I think the SLC will be playing it in a few weeks and I highly recommend that you go see it then. Let me just say that I RARELY go to the movies, and in this case I only went to see this film since it was an assignment for film class. But damn am I glad that I did. In this day and age of homogenous, mass-appeal garbage that Hollywood consistently puts out (think Meet The Spartans) it is refreshing to see a film that exemplifies the core components of great film making in a variety of ways.

The synopsis is that a man named Llewyan in rural Texas who comes across a briefcase worth $2 million from a drug deal gone horribly wrong. A sadistic hitman named Chigurgh (played by Bardem) is after the stolen briefcase and vows to kill anybody who stands in his way. The story is narrated by an aging lawman (played by Tommy Lee Jones) who is approaching the twilight of his career and is facing the greatest evil he has ever encountered as a police officer. The movie is as much a cat-and-mouse chase throughout Southern Texas as it a psychological expose of Jones' character, who is realizing that he simply can not keep pace with the intensifying chaos of the world around him.

Look out for some phenomenal performances by Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem (who is nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar), excellent cinematography and gripping dialogue that brings you on a tour-de-force of intense, powerful story-telling. It is one of the harshest, most realistic thrillers I've ever seen and is arguably the Coen Brothers' greatest work yet. I will be literally stunned if this film does not win any Academy Awards. As mentioned before, Bardem is up for a Supporting Actor (which he almost HAS to win) but NCFOM has been nominated for Best Picture as well, alongside Juno, Atonement, and others. To my recollection, it might even be up for Best Adapted Screenplay as well since it is based on a novel of the same name.

So if you get the chance, take a trip out to a local theater and give this film a viewing. I guarantee you that $6.50 later, you will have absolutely no regrets that you were able to watch one of the highest-quality films put out in over a decade.