No Country for Old Men

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Nicole

The Coen's make a hugely suspenseful and intriguing modern western. Javier Bardem delivers an iconic performance. Brilliant photography, stark use of sound and music and one of their patented head scratching endings that makes you go have to back and re-evaluated what you thought they were getting at.

It's a slow burn to a climax they completely deny you. But when you go back and think of this film as the Sheriff's story it comes together more appropriately. First time through I wasn't really paying that much attention to Tommy Lee Jones's character because you easily get so caught up in the stolen drug money chase. But that ending forces you to stop and take notice.

It's a brilliantly put together film, with some of the best suspenseful action sequences I've ever seen realised. It feels so observational, a big part of which is from the lack of any music that would normally accompany such sequences. I don't normally fare well with westerns but I find this wholly engaging.