Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated R
4 Pulses
The Coen Brothers have done it once again, leaving an indelible mark on the art of filmmaking. Their last few attempts at comedy (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers) have left me longing for the dark moodiness of their earlier work (Miller’s Crossing, Fargo). No Country has filled that void at last.
Based on the 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy, the story belongs to a trio of men connected by an abandoned crime scene of dead bodies, a truck full of heroin and $2 million.
Brolin plays Llewelyn Moss, a mediocre hunter who stumbles upon the massacre. A man of little means, Moss believes his troubles are over when he finds the money. Not foolish enough to believe he won’t be found, he sends his wife to stay with her mother and prepares to protect himself.
It’s doubtful any amount of prep could protect someone from the likes of Anton Chigurh (Bardem), a brooding and menacing sociopath who’s been sent to recover the cash. Hot on the trail of both men is the seasoned and rugged Sheriff Bell (Jones), who’s witnessed the transformation of his Texas landscape and tells the story through a series of unlikely anecdotes.
Otherwise, the film has a still quietness that reflects its setting. Little dialogue and Carter Burwell’s minimal score allow the tension to build with each heavy sigh, the sharp intakes of breath and the loading of every gun. Enhanced by the sweeping landscapes captured by the Coen’s go-to director of photography, Roger Deakins, all frame the steady pace of this grim chase.
