The Oscars have long since lost any significance as an indicator of a film's true quality. In 2006, the Academy's award for The Departed served more like a consolation prize for Martin Scorsese and a compensation for decades of snubbing by the Academy, rather than a genuine reward for the film itself. In a sense, the same could be said for No Country for Old Men, the 2007 crime drama directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Although, in this particular case, the Academy's choice happened to be a very good film indeed.
Based on the 2005 novel by celebrated author Cormac McCarthy, the film is set in 1980 West Texas. The plot revolves around Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin), a welder and Vietnam War veteran who, while hunting in the desert, stumbles upon the bloody aftermath of a drug deal gone spectacularly wrong. He takes a briefcase containing $2 million in cash, but this action makes him a target of criminals who not only want the money back, but also to eliminate any witnesses. Moss now has to evade Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem), a ruthless but resourceful psychopathic killer who will stop at nothing to catch him and kill him. As the pursuit continues and bodies continue to pile up, Ed Tom Bell (played by Tommy Lee Jones=, the Terrell County Sheriff, tries his best to protect Moss' wife Carla Jean (played by Kelly Macdonald), despite thinking that, as an old man, he is no match for the new level of drug-fuelled violence in Texas.
The Coen brothers have always enjoyed exploring various genres, and No Country for Old Men represents an intriguing combination of western, film noir, road film and existential drama, all sprinkled with a little of the black humour characteristic of the brothers' previous work. The film is superbly directed, especially in the opening scenes and later when the cat-and-mouse game between Moss and Chigurh results in some of the most suspenseful scenes in the history of 21st century cinema.
McCarthy was an author known for his pessimism, and the Coen brothers' film is a clear reflection of it. The plot strays from Hollywood conventions that reward heroes, protect the innocent, and punish the guilty. Instead, the world is ruled by capricious twists of fate. The protagonist, a decent, ordinary but resourceful man who would be the traditional protagonist in conventional films, is bound to lose, and when it happens, it isn't due to his adversary being superior, but because of a chance encounter and someone else's careless remark.
No Country for Old Men embodied this nihilistic worldview in the form of Chigurh, who is often mentioned as one of cinema history's greatest villains. Javier Bardem's Oscar-winning performance as Chigurh is a ruthless, unstoppable force of nature devoid of any compassion or morality, akin to Schwarzenegger's iconic character in The Terminator, a 1984 science fiction classic that this film pays homage to in one of the scenes. Yet, there is self-awareness in Chigurh, who has not openly embraced nihilistic views and made his decisions based on coin tosses, but also had his own personal code that he would follow despite the fact that it made no sense and ultimately got Chigurh into a whole lot of trouble at the end.
The Coens try, and for the most part succeed, in conveying this depressive message by giving their film a specific atmosphere. This is achieved through excellent cinematography by Roger Deakins, as well as the unusual absence of music, with composer and Coen Brothers' old collaborator Carter Burwell delivering his soundtrack only at the end credits. This allows the audience to concentrate on the plot and various minor but very telling details.
No Country for Old Men is a very good film, but it is also far from perfect. The main reason for this could be found in the character of Ed Tom Bell, who is supposed to be the narrator and some sort of Greek chorus, but is actually absent from much of the plot. While Tommy Lee Jones plays it very well, his presence seems unnecessary and only adds to the film's long running time, with the plot resolution, or to be more precise, the lack of, making the film a rather frustrating experience for an audience that aren't snobbish devotees of arthouse cinema.
The same thing can be said for the character of Carson Wells, the "fixer", which, despite providing Woody Harrelson with the opportunity to shine in a relatively small role, adds nothing to the film other than increasing the body count and running time.
Despite these criticisms, No Country for Old Men became a significant success both critically and commercially. It has solidified its place as one of the more memorable Oscar winners in recent years—a film that resonates with audiences for its exploration of moral ambiguity and existential dread. The Coen brothers have crafted a modern classic that transcends genre limitations while engaging with profound philosophical questions about fate and human agency.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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