No Country For Old Men (2007)

Many people believe that “No Country for Old Men” is a spectacular piece of cinema that features outstanding performances and terrific writing. This film struck a chord with so many viewers and critics alike and won four Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director(s), Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.)

I really wanted to love “No Country for Old Men” but it just didn’t click for me. It may be great, but whatever everyone else finds within this film has completely alluded me. I wanted to leave the film electrified and thoughtful, however, “No Country” left me feeling as empty as a bleak desert.

Before I get mangled by a pitch-fork-wielding mob, I’ll explain what I liked.

The dream-like cinematography is incredible. Oscar-Winner Roger Deakins brings a visually stunning aesthetic to every film he shoots. From “The Shawshank Redemption” to “True Grit”, “Skyfall” and “Blade Runner 2049”, Deakins is undoubtedly one of modern cinemas greatest cinematographers.

“No Country for Old Men” has a fantastic atmosphere. From the arid and unforgiving landscapes to a bloody and claustrophobic motel, the first two-thirds of the movie are relentless and unforgiving. The motel sequence was my favourite part of the film; I held my breath for the entire set-piece!

Sadly, that’s all I definitively liked about “No Country for Old Men.”

My biggest issue with this film is that the characters are completely 2-dimensional. We root for Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss as he attempts to escape from Anton Chigurh, despite his complete lack of character development or depth. I can’t honestly praise Brolin for his performance as the script doesn’t give him more to do than speak with a thick southern accent and look stressed while shooting a shotgun. But then twenty minutes from the end of the movie, Moss is shoved to the side-lines in the most anti-climactic and unsatisfactory fashion imaginable.

Speaking of unsatisfying things, I flat-out hated the finale of “No Country.” I understand the metaphors and deep sublime themes (only because I’ve watched YouTube videos made by people who actually like this movie.) The problem is, I dislike endings that make me scream at my TV “WHAT?! IS THAT IT?!” The filmmakers tricked me into believing that “No Country for Old Men” was a blistering and gory thriller, however, practically nothing happens for the last twenty minutes.

We end on Tommy Lee Jones sadly staring into the distance, moping about his dreams and how depressed he is. Then the movie abruptly cuts to black… and that’s it (you can almost hear the Coen’s laughing as they take your money and their Oscars!)

Tommy Lee Jones is a great actor who nearly always plays the exact same character in everything (Agent K in the “Men in Black” Trilogy is by far his most entertaining role.) Once again, Jones plays the same broken-down southern-drawling old man. He is enjoyable to watch, even if his character is mostly absent for 80% of the film, before suddenly becoming the protagonist at the last minute.

Javier Bardem won an Academy Award for his performance as a Two-Face knock-off… I’m sorry, “crazed psychopath who flips a coin to decide his victim’s fate” Anton Chigurh. To be frank, I don’t believe that he deserved it. I won’t deny that Bardem is intimidating and freighting as he brutally dispatches random people with a gun that fires compressed air (it’s funny that no innocent bystander ever notices him hauling it around.) However, he could be any insane killer in any movie; I don’t think that there was anything particularly unique to this character and especially nothing OSCAR worthy. He is undoubtedly the most memorable character in the film, but personally, his performance as Silva (my favourite Bond villain) in “Skyfall” (my favourite Bond movie) has far more layers, charisma and danger to him than this grey speck of an antagonist.

Most of the action in “No Country” feels as though it was directed by an angsty teenager that employs copious amounts of blood and gore to prove how gritty and edgy they are. I don’t mind bloody violence when it is used in a good story or awesome action sequences (e.g. “Logan” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), but it felt as though “No Country for Old Men” threw in dog deaths and garrotting’s just to be “mature” and “cool.”

If I haven’t already turned you away with my unpopular opinions, I’ll wrap it up here. I appreciate that “No Country for Old Men” is phenomenal to many people, I just can’t understand why. I didn’t invest in it emotionally, it ranged from exciting to dull and the final scenes left me frustrated and bitter. However, I would recommend it in the hope that you can get more out of it than I did.