Based on the 2003 novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men unfolds in the dusty Texas borderlands as hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon the remnants of a desert drug deal gone bad, complete with a case containing two million dollars. Succumbing to temptation, Moss makes off with the money setting in motion a chain of events that leaves a trail of blood-spattered carnage across the State as he is pursued by the ruthless, coin tossing hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) among whose killing weapons of choice is a pneumatic air gun.
Cormac McCarthy has had more than several of his novels adapted to the big screen, and while some of them haven’t positively received, you can’t help but feel that the narratives in his books could be executed very well in the format of a movie. Clearly, a perfect adaptation is almost impossible, but the one thing that McCarthy carries over from the novel of No Country for Old Men to the film adaptation is the tone and the vibe of a serious and dark Western. The interesting thing about this is that the Coen brothers (the directors of the movie) typically have a more comedic approach to a noir type movie. Coming from someone who has read the novel, I think the Coen brothers made the movie more dynamic, while still keeping the spirit of the book in play, while adding some serious tension with the notion of no music.
The one character exploration that sticks out to me is on Anton Chigurh because while he is ruthless, psychotic and brutal, he’s also somewhat apathetic and at times philosophical in his diabolic schemes. He moves almost selfishly through every character’s lives and leaves this sense of death knocking everywhere he goes and gives the best performance out of the movie.
As far as the genre goes, I truly believe that No Country for Old Men is a very subtle horror movie. Throughout the majority of the movie, you have this cat and mouse chase with Anton tracking and hunting down Llewelyn. I think this conflict creates a man vs man conflict because Llewelyn had no idea with what he was getting into and this form of tension speaks well for the tone of the movie. Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), who acts as a narrator and a crucial character in the story, gives a narration towards the beginning of the movie that provides the audience an undulating rhythm which enhances the West Texas atmosphere. During absences of narration, painstakingly detailed movements slow the pace. At times in the film, however, that slow pace is replaced with a flurry of activity, both visually and aurally.
No Country for Old Men is a movie that primarily focuses on mood and style because it’s a bracing thriller, a cat-and-mouse game involving (as Coen movies tend to) a lot of extra cats and mice (characters) running around complicating the story and throwing out stylized, entertaining, and frequently bizarre performances.
Cinematography for No Country for Old Men focused on both visual and auditory impressions through the Coen brothers’ unique approach to their films. Throughout the film, a variety of camera shots are used. Probably the most noticeable camera shot is the use of the high-angle shot or God’s eye shot. This tactic is used heavily when Anton is having screen time and it’s used with great efficiency, and it also tends to use a good amount of medium close-up tracking shot.
My grade for No Country for Old Men: A+
Zane's take at the Cinema's 