No Country for Old Men (2007)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Directors:

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (screenplay) &
Ethan Coen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

There Are No Clean Getaways

Plot:

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.

Plot Keywords:

Money | Killer | Murder | Sheriff | Desert

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 94 wins & 45 nominations

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Sheriff Ed Tom Bell
Javier Bardem	...	Anton Chigurh
Josh Brolin	...	Llewelyn Moss
Woody Harrelson	...	Carson Wells
Kelly Macdonald	...	Carla Jean Moss
Garret Dillahunt	...	Deputy Wendell
Tess Harper	...	Loretta Bell
Barry Corbin	...	Ellis
Stephen Root	...	Man who hires Wells
Rodger Boyce	...	Sheriff Roscoe Giddens
Beth Grant	...	Carla Jean's Mother
Ana Reeder	...	Poolside Woman
Kit Gwin	...	Sheriff Bell's Secretary
Zach Hopkins	...	Strangled Deputy
Chip Love	...	Man in Ford

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and some language.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/18 | Brazil:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #43473) | Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:16 | Israel:16 | Norway:15 | Denmark:15 | Taiwan:R-18 | Spain:18 | Iceland:16 | South Africa:16 (16V) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:16 | Austria:16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

Contrary to their usual process, the Coen Brothers did not write the script with actors in mind for the characters. Stephen Root ended up being the only actor in the cast with whom the Coens have previously worked.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Llewelyn finds the transponder, he leaves the suitcase open, yet when he is escaping minutes later, the suitcase is closed when he grabs it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ed Tom Bell: I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five years old. Hard to believe. My grandfather was a lawman; father too. Me and him was sheriffs at the same time; him up in Plano and me out here. I think he's pretty proud of that. I know I was. Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Tina Fey/Carrie Underwood (#33.5)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Blood Trails

Coen's display confidence in crafting yet another masterpiece

I saw this film at a private preview screening in Pittsburg on 5/16/07. I went with five other friends. The entire group was male, 20 yrs old, and mostly college athletes. I explain the demographic of myself and my companions to reason why I was the only one that came away from the film completely satisfied. The story was fresh and different and I don't think my friends had the capacity to fully enjoy what was going on on-screen. I did. And I am still trying to fully understand what an accomplishment it is. Let me try to explain.

The Coens begin the movie with a voice-over against a barren Texas landscape, much the way Blood Simple began. In fact, there are several similarities between the two films, like the auspicious lack of music. A reviewer whose name escapes me once said that all Coen Bro. films look great and sound better. I'll get to sound later but to talk about the look... Other than some CGI animals, which really shocked me in such an otherwise perfect film, each frame is filled with such interesting material that the tone is set perfectly so that as you view a scene, you know whether to wait on a laugh or brace for...

A large part of what fills those frames is great performances. Perfectly cast is Tommy Lee Jones. He nails it, the crowd goes wild etc... That's expected though. Josh Brolin, on a very recent hot streak, has given us two tremendous performances this year and both would have been a Cannes if the superbly talented Tarantino was loyal to his material and friend and kept the masterpiece that was Grindhouse untouched. Brolin's performance in that film was spot on with the perfect amount of ham and cheese to set the tone for the whole movie. In this one, he shows he can do just as well playing strait and absorbing into character as he does at crowd-pleasing cheesballing it. Kelly Macdonald will have to do something else to prove to me she really isn't the Clara Jean character she portrayed even though I know she is a Scot. Woody Harrelson, who I think gets too much praise sometimes, is at his best here and actually manages not to get blown off the screen (well sorta) by Javier Bordem. Mr. Bordem's performance is a force, much like the character he portrays. His Chigurh is a representation of the lunacy of violence that exists in society. There is no negotiations with it, it has always been here and it will always be here. It/he leaves us in shock and terror and all we can do is... ??? The first thing that needs to be said about the sound is that if another film wins an award all year for sound or sound editing, investigations should be held and the judges' bank accounts monitored. The sound in this movie is so shockingly good. There is no music (save some comically placed source music)and the movie is all the better for it. People talk about the way the music in Jaws enhanced the tension of what was happening on screen. People should, from here on say that the lack of music and the placement of source sound in No Country for Old Men thrilled more.

I am certainly rooting for No Country for Old Men to come away with the hardware from Cannes.