If this was the best picture of 2007, then apparently it wasn't what I'd call a great year for films!That's not to say that watching No Country for Old Men is a bad way to spend two hours - it's actually an entertaining and captivating film - just that it didn't qualify as "great" for me. I had heard a lot of comparisons between this Coen Brother offering and their earlier gem, Fargo, but I'd have to say that I wouldn't put this in the same category as 1996's North Dakota masterpiece. While Javier Bardem delivers a very affected performance here - enough so, in fact, to win over Oscar voters in the "Best Supporting Actor" race - and Tommy Lee Jones is appropriately wistful in his role as a Texas sheriff unsure of what to do in the face of an emerging drug trade in his neck of the woods, there was nothing to be found here to compare with Frances McDormand's much more endearing Marge Gunderson, or even the laughably flawed Jerry Lundegaard, as played by William H. Macy. Fargo had a lot of heart, despite the occasional gore; No Country for Old Men seems almost entirely lacking in heart.
On the other hand, the story is gripping, and there's an attention to quirky detail evident throughout that's reminiscent at times of Blue Velvet. Why is Bardem's psychopathic character behaving the way he is, as he cuts a path of mayhem through several Texas counties? Who knows, but he certainly does find interesting use after interesting use for his converted cattle-killing device. Similarly, Josh Brolin's almost-hero has a studied approach to every situation he finds himself in, except for the final one... which we sadly don't get to see!
And that's the other major complaint I have with this "Best Picture" winner. Without giving too much away, let me just say that very little closure is provided. So much setup is given to several of the key plot lines, and yet each of them ends with the dramatic equivalent of a whimper (rather than a bang). I'm sure that all of them were carefully thought out by Ethan and Joel Coen, but this particular viewer found the entire experience quite unsatisfying. I guess you could say that I was waiting for the wood chipper scene... and got nothing remotely rewarding. If nothing else, though, I'm more primed than ever to watch Fargo again!
If you like your movies stylish, and don't really care what happens to any of the characters, then No Country for Old Men will likely be just perfect for you; otherwise, you may find that the last half hour of the movie has left a sour taste in your mouth.
Rating: ***
6 comments:
The main difference, I felt, between this and 'Fargo' was a sense of humour. 'No Country' is just unremitting in its grimness. A very good film, I agree, but not one of my favourite Coens.
Yeah, I couldn't agree more, Kid. I even remember thinking, as we watched one of the DVD extras in which the Bardem character is described as having no sense of humour, that that's really true of the film, in general. There are little attempts at being funny, as when the cranky mother from Odessa is on-screen, but really... it's unrelentingly grim, just as you say.
Agreed here as well - probably my least favorite Coen brother film, favorite being The Big Lebowski
I think how you said "If you like your movies stylish, and don't really care what happens to any of the characters" ... that is me! Although I think the lack of heart is what made me not LOVE the movie as well, certainly not enough to rank it as one of my favorite films of all-time, or anything like that.
Fargo felt more immature, using more low-brow jokes to fill gaps in the story. This film let the gaps sit there. I like the Tommy Lee Jones character the best. It was rewarded because it is bucking standard Hollywood ideas of plot, although it is unsatisfying. If you've read Brunner's "The Sheep Look Up" you'll see a parallel - the difficulty in making it through the story is part of the message. Although far be it for me to say what that message is.... I've only watched it once ;)
I think, no I'm CERTAIN, that the Coens would be delighted to hear of the sour taste in your mouth.
That was, after all, the idea.
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