Written by Briah Krueger
This 2007 film is not your Grandpa’s typical Western, actually it’s not a typical anything. Based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel and brought to life by acclaimed directors Ethan and Joel Coen, our next stop on the 100 Movie Bucket List is No Country for Old Men.
The Coen brothers made quite a film from this novel, with its well-fitting and talented cast, a storyline that eagerly holds your attention, and capturing the horror of a villain that dare I say is made strictly of nightmare material. But we’ll get to all that fun stuff in just a moment. This film opens with beautifully captivating landscapes and a soothing story-teller voiceover from none other than Tommy Lee Jones, who portrays the Sheriff in the film.
The camera work is so crisp and unique, at times you almost feel like you’re there and get lost in the oasis of the scenery. Or if you’re in one of the many uncanny suspense filled scenes, you may find yourself surged with panic and sympathy for our main heroic characters.
The story follows an unexpected discovery of 2 million dollars from our main character Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) in Texas, around the 80s. Before finding the money, he comes across the outcome of drug violence in the middle of the desert with several dead men and then finds the trail to the 2 million dollars.
And to follow his tracks to retrieve the money and destroy most anything in his path is the notoriously evil hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). Now I don’t use the word evil (at least not seriously) often, at times I think it can sound a bit cliché, but our villain in this movie Chigurh is nothing short of it. His calm and unpredictable behaviour makes your skin crawl with uneasiness, as he quickly reveals with his actions how ruthless and relentless he is.
He’s honestly one of the purest evil villains’ stories and films have brought to life; there’s no soul in his eyes and not a trace of humanity in his alarmingly deep and rattled voice.
Every supporting actor in this film (Honorable mentions: Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt) brings this story of mystery and uncertainty even more to life with their very well portrayed characters and of course those Texan accents. Our main characters show fearlessness, bravery, and some cunning brief comedy relief at times.
Though I haven’t read the book, I would hope and believe that the Coen brothers did it justice with winning four Academy Awards. Including: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Attaboy Javier Bardem!), Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Writing Adapted Screenplay. (Thank you IMDB!). This film is original and just the right amount of chilling that you still enjoy the film and are invested in its ending. Though, I won’t lie to you, you won’t like the ending.
I would most certainly, and plan to, watch No Country for Old Men again and though I am no movie-buff-judge, I would say this is an instant classic for you thriller fans. There are two things in this movie that held me back in my score giving, I won’t reveal them for spoiler alert reasons, but those two things didn’t stop me from giving this film an 8.5 out of 10. No Country for Old Men is truly a powerful and enchantingly violent movie experience you should definitely give a shot (no pun intended).
The recipe for No Country for Old Men is: One worn out Captive Bolt Pistol, several hotel room keys, cowboy boots, Texas accents, cats, coin tosses, and one very valuable black case.
And here is our scratch-off image from the 100 Movie Bucket List poster, as always!
If you’re interested in getting this poster for yourself or another fellow movie lover you can find it on Amazon! There are also several posters like this one, such as: 100 Books Bucket List, and 100 Things to Do Bucket List. Let the 100 Bucket List Movie journey begin!
