Personal Rating: 8.7 Out of 10
A neo western neo noir set by the dull and gloomy desert borders of Texas near reo grande is a movie enthusiast wet dream which is “No Country for Old Men”. And why shouldn't it be. As it is based on the famous novel written by Cormac MacCarthy with a same title and is directed by the Joel and Ethan Coen duo.
Source: WikiMedia.org
No Country for Old Men has a setting which follows a rather simple linear story with a deeper allegorical meaning. It follows a guy named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) a Vietnam war veteran who when hunting in texas’s barren deserts found a site where a drug deal went horribly wrong leading him to find a case full of cash which has a symbolic meaning for lost treasure. But unbeknown to him a hit-man named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) was assigned to bring the taker of the cash dead or alive.
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The era this movie plays in is the 80’s. And so it had to have a bleak environment which the Coens greatly achieved by putting no music in the film. This loss of music allowed the eerie sound of desert to slip in the viewers mind by establishing the fact that the movie is a well balanced portrayal of chaos. A collision between the good, the lesser good and the bad.
Back to the characters another vital role in this movie is Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) a good of heart down to earth sheriff who necessarily understands the motivation behind Moss for taking the cash. He being a lawman oversteps boundaries and tries to help Moss with his limited resources. This proud lawman who is also from a family of proud lawmen has been portrayed beautifully by Jones because of the actor having a natural voice perfectly fit for any similar characters.
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Not every movie has to have a happy ending. Not everyone gets to live happily ever after. This movie is an example of that. For example Anton Chigurh the character portrayed by Javier Birdem is the bringer of death and destruction. The actor when playing the role asked the directors why this much violence is needed to be in the film the answer was that there is no meaning in anarchy and violence. It can never lead to anything good whatever the reason is behind committing those acts.
When the credits roll the viewers are and will be left with some unsettling questions about destiny, fate etc of humans and their futile attempt to control these. An example of would be moss’s attempt to save his wife from this event by sending her to her mothers despite not knowing if he can or cant. But the attempt is to prove whatever the aftermath will be a human will always try to protect their closest ones.
Personal rating: 8.7 Out of 10