i cannot wait to see this.

DAMN LIMITED RELEASES!!!!

An excellent film. I did have a few problems with it though - mainly the Tommy Lee Jones subplot, which isn't nearly as fascinating and thrilling as the central storyline. It also ran a little long and by the end became a bit tiresome. However, minor qualms aside, a great deal of it was AMAZING. Javier Bardem delivers a flawless, terrifying performance that should secure him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar without any problem. His character seems destined to become a classic movie villain. Josh Brolin was also great, showing much more range than usual and making his character likable and relatable. Every scene involving these two was fantastic. The cat-and-mouse chase sequence that occurs around the middle of the film is one of the most suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat moments I've ever seen. The direction by the Coen Brothers was also fantastic - the cinematography and mise-en-scene of every shot was stunning. Anyways, highly recommended.

A-

I totally agree with thompsoncory, though I did like the sheriff's subplot a tad more. Moreover, let me add that the sound mixing in the movie is near glorious. And Javier Bardem? While the haircut drew some giggles, the staredowns and menace he exudes are undeniably terrific.

Very faithful to the original novel as well, except for one minor yet standout character that they didn't include in the film.

Frankly speaking - - I am very, very disappointed.

You'd think after all the crazy talk in reviews I gleaned from peripheral glances that this film would at least match up to the Coens' masterpiece. But, nope, no such luck. Though No Country For Old Men holds echoes of Blood Simple's power and artistry, it is in no way it's equal. Matter of fact, it's a pale shadow of the brothers' rookie debut. And that one didn't get no Oscar love! Not to mention that they already got their delayed compensation for that buried gem with their less deserving Fargo.

But, yeah, there's loads of cool stuff in this movie - - stuff that'll blind some viewers into misrating it as somethin' special. Shame that. 'Cause though it's okay, it's just a hint of what a extraordinary movie this could have been without the unjustifiable indulgence on the part of it's creators. What a frickin' waste of some great ideas 'n' some outstanding acting... however, the story's epileptic dialectic sunk this ship well short of it's idyllic destination harbor. But, I guess if movie viewers are willing to don the scuba gear and fin their way around the sunken wreckage, they may salvage some small pleasure.

Sad really.

BAD.

freakin' loved it.

mee too

No Country for Old Men, while not perfect, lives up to the hype that has surrounded it. One thing the Coens have always been great at is the pacing in their films, and this one is no exception. Almost nothing follows an expected path or occurs as someone would predict. Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones are both superb in their roles here. However, the real standout is Javier Bardem, who commands the screen and elevates the film to a higher level. His character is deeply unsettling and frightening; an Oscar nomination (or win, depending on how things go the rest of the year) is deserved. Kelly Macdonald (with a flawless Texas accent) and Woody Harrelson (showing up briefly) provide capable support. I think my favorite part of this film may have actually been the use of sound and sound mixing. It's the kind of thing one doesn't typically notice in a film, but the Coens use sound to rather tremendous effect in this movie. Then, of course, there is the very loose, open-ended ending that will certainly provoke controversey. I'm still not sure what I thought of it, exactly. However, I cannot say the same for the movie. This will go down as one of the best movies made this year. A-

Hmm, while the comments are good, after the 96% and 20 100s at MC I actually thought the reaction in this thread would be stronger. With half the people calling it a masterpiece and the best movie of the year like with The Departed or Sideways or somethin'. I'll wait and see how I feel about it, though I'm a little more hesitant than I was a month ago.

Ok then, let me go ahead and call it a masterpiece. Flawless.

It's definitely a masterpiece. It's the Coen brothers' best film yet, I think.

I'd place only Fargo above this one, personally.

Fargo is why I only think. I have to see No Country again and give it time to decide for sure. :up:

Yeah, I'd also that that Fargo is the only Coen film that tops it. It's a pretty fantastic film, with all the talk Javier Bardem has been getting I came out surprised by how great Brolin was. The only thing I would probably knock on the movie is that Tommy Lee Jones story angle, nowhere near as strong as the meat of the movie with Bardem and Brolin.

Anyways great film, that I would really like to see one more time in theaters.

A-

I almost forgot Kelly MacDonald is Scottish, with her cute little Southern drawl.

well, it met my hype. Definitely one of the best films of the year, and from a filmmaking standpoint, it's far and away the best [so far]. Featuring a handful of scenes that are all more intense than any other scene in any other movie this year, as well as a handful of incredible performances, led by Javier Bardem in one of the best villainous roles of the decade, this film really was an incredible accomplishment.

A

#3 of 2007

This is a devastating movie. Both in its formalistic ferocity and in its implications and themes. A true masterpiece, and easily the best film of the year. People complaining about the ending are kind of cringe inducing in their complete short sighted digestion of the movie. The ending IS the movie.

I want to see this now. Maybe Friday, if it's still playing here.

Slightly SPOILERISH:

I agree - Bell's telling of his dreams perfectly summed up the whole film.

And the irony of Chigurh meeting something so devastating and random towards the end (and his resulting act of desperation) gave me a chuckle, considering he just gave a great explanation of his philosophy of life to Carla Jean.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

I don't quite know exactly what to think of the film other than maybe that I should watch it again because even though I listened to Tommy Lee's character I didn't really "listen" to it. Idk, the ending is VERY abrupt and I doubt much of the viewing audience is even sniffing that it's gonna end right then and there which will probably lead to negative word of mouth among the general public. I honestly heard lots of "what the hell" "what??" "whuhh..." after the end of the film. As for me, I kind of fall in that category but the more I think about it the ending was probably fine due to various reasons.

My thoughts on why the end was right is that we already know that Lou has skipped town and I think actually used his wife as bait just to get a head start and disappear. We already had the big duel between Lou and Sugar in a couple locales ending in a draw so another showdown would have been redundant especially after his wife had already been taken care of.

I really did enjoy the film overall. I liked the story and the acting and the characters. I thought it was a pretty film to watch and the scenes involving gun usage done to perfection. It felt like a dialogue intensive film to me. Meaning that one probably needs to pay close attention to what is being said to get the most out of it. Maybe I'm wrong on that but I feel like I missed something about the film. Hard to explain.

Grade B

*SOME SPOILERS*

Indeed. The car crash acts as some form of divine punishment for Chigurh.

Putting the weighty thematics of the film aside momentarily, I think it is crucial to acknowledge that a lot of the success of the movie lies in the little touches that are sprinkled throughout, and this is a true testament to the Coens' brilliance. The use of sound when Chigurh uses the tracking device to find Llewelyn in the motel parking lot for example, or the way subtle moments play off of themselves and events that happened earlier in the movie (if you aren't paying close attention, you will miss hugely important things entirely and be unclear about a lot of things) to eventually arrive at something bigger -- a great example of this is the scene where Chigurh gets the old man driving the chicken coup truck to pull over. We have been taught throughout the entire movie that Chigurh kills people to take their rides, and there couldn't possibly be a more inconvenient vehicle to steal. The scene is funny when it first begins, but quickly descends into uncomfortable horror when we realize the Coens' have made a movie populated with real people and we care about this old man that is about to be horrifically murdered. Later, Chigurh's boots become an important key to confirming the fate of another (major) character after we have witnessed his method both pre and post murder several times.

If the Best Supporting Actor Oscar isn't hand delivered to Javier Bardem in his aisle seat on Oscar night, there is truly no justice in this world. Considering the worldview of the film in question, maybe that would be apt.

If you weren't listening to Tommy Lee Jones at the end, then yes, it's safe to say you missed something.

*SPOILER NEXT*

And Llewelyn was killed at his motel in El Paso, so a final duel between him and Chigurh would have not only be redundant but also supernatural.

SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSSS

Nightvsn:

Yeah, did you...miss...the part where Llewellyn died? I mean, he was killed off screen, but he's dead with about 20 minutes left to go in the movie.

A rare example of when I agree with loyal...

I thought this was a really great movie. In my top five of the year. In so many films where music and effects are so important, this film destroys that philosophy. I really dug that there was no music in the entire movie. It focused on what was important, and the story itself is flawless, suspenseful, and out right kick ass. The three leads are superb, and the supporting is as well. Loved Woody in his cameo.

The convo with the Convenient store clerk and the shootout were probably the two most suspenseful scenes of the year. The minute Brolin sat in front of the door, I knew he'd be screwed with Javier's unique style of B&E.