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The Coen Brothers’ “No Country for Old Men”--which
swept the Academy Awards back in 2008, winning for Best
Director(s) and Best Picture--is one of those films that
can speak volumes in few words, and it successfully moves
forward despite going at a snail’s pace. This essentially
goes against every principle I believe a movie should follow,
so in all honesty, I don’t know why I enjoyed this film
so much. **
I don’t think it has anything to do with the story,
which is actually quite simplistic: Taking place in 1980,
a psychopath searches for a hunter that stole a suitcase
full of drug money in the remote deserts of Texas. ***
I’m sure it has nothing to do with the structure, which
seems to intentionally forgo a clear beginning, middle,
and end. ***
And I know it has nothing to do with the characters,
which are crafted so realistically that they don’t mesh
with cinematic escapism. So what on earth is left? Why did
this film work so well? ***
All I can come up with are the numerous scenes of conversation,
which are fascinating in both style and speech. At some
point or another, every character has something to say.
More importantly, every character says what they have to
say very well. ***
Take, for example, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a
low-key yet murderous madman whose weapon of choice is a
pressurized air gun--in a scene early on, he challenges
a convenience store owner to a psychological duel, and after
flipping a coin, he asks the owner to call it. We immediately
get the sense that whichever end is facing up will determine
whether or not the owner dies. How this scene ends doesn’t
matter; what does matter is how it reaches the end. ***
Even the way the characters sound is important, simply
because tone says much more than actual words do. Bardem
uses a deep, monotone voice that perfectly accentuates Chigurh’s
methodical, sadistic nature. ***
He channels that brutal energy to find Llewelyn Moss
(Josh Brolin), who foolishly gets himself involved in the
aftermath of a failed drug trade. After wandering into an
area littered with bullet-ridden cars, decaying bodies,
and a gigantic stash of heroine, he finds and takes a suitcase
stuffed with more than $2 million in cash. ***
He soon realizes that he has to be on the run, which
goes completely over the head of his young wife, Carla Jean
(Kelly Macdonald), who’s caring and approachable but easily
confused. She and Moss speak to each other as if they’ve
come to an understanding somewhere along the way: He can
do what he wants so long as she doesn’t question him too
much. This isn’t to say that he’s an abuser--truth be told,
he doesn’t even raise his voice to her. It seems to be more
a matter of trust, which will be difficult to earn since
stealing the money has gotten her involved. ***
As Moss moves from motel to motel with Chigurh in hot
pursuit, retired sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) begins
investigating the case. Here’s a man beaten down by life,
unwilling to continue working yet unable to keep himself
busy at home. He’s weary, lost, and uninspired, at one point
saying, “I always thought when I got older, God would sort
of come into my life in some way. He didn’t.” He goes on
to say, “I don’t blame Him; if I was Him, I’d have the same
opinion about me that He does.” ***
Most movies with dialogue like this tend to make the
character’s situation obvious, detailing for the audience
what exactly brought him or her to that point. No such details
are given in the case of “No Country for Old Men,” which
only made Jones’ character that much more fascinating. Bell
begins the case with enough drive but soon loses himself
to doubt and frustration. ***
And then there’s Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson), a
special agent assigned to find both Chigurh and the missing
money. His purpose in the story isn’t exactly clear to me.
On the one hand, he engages Chigurh in a way that’s mesmerizing.
On the other hand, his methods and reasoning skills are
both mysterious and unrealistic. In other words, I just
didn’t get this guy. ***
But when I think about the way the rest of the film
plays out, it’s quite possible that I wasn’t supposed to
get him. Maybe he was meant to be a counterpoint to the
insane Chigurh, another enigmatic character that plays against
evil in an intentionally ambiguous way. There’s really no
knowing when it comes to a Coen Brothers movie. ***
This is especially true of the ending, which isn’t even
partially explained by the word “unresolved.” Quite frankly,
it’s maddeningly unsatisfying, about as anticlimactic as
they get. So I once again find myself questioning why I
was able to appreciate the film; “No Country for Old Men”
is definitely wonderful, yet it twists wonderful storytelling
techniques into something unrecognizable.
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