No Country For Old Men – DVD Review

Film, Reviews


nocuntryforoldmen
Available at Amazon.com
There are choices in life that need to be made. Some could be as simple as what clothes you are going to wear for the day although for a few people, that could be considered a rather crucial decision. But for those with their minds a little more at ease, it’s the bigger decisions needing to be made like whether you should buy a house, wondering if quitting your job is the right answer, or just knowing the right thing to do. Some choices are faced with consequences that you know will come, but the prize far outweighs those consequences because you aren’t looking at the bigger picture. You’re simply looking immediately in front of you. And if right in front of you sat a dead man and a satchel full of money, would you really think not to take it? You should.

Llewelyn Moss is a simple man. He lives out in Texas and goes about his business each day never bothering anyone. A retired welder and Vietnam vet, Moss spends most of his days with his rifle hunting some game out on the wild plains. One day while out hunting, he stumbles across a grouping of five trucks, each one a little more torn up then the next. Scattered around are the dead bodies of some Mexican men that Llewelyn concludes were involved in some type of drug deal gone wrong. His assumptions are proved right when he finds a huge amount of dope in the back of one of the trucks. But having been around the mill a few times, Llewelyn is no stupid man and knows there is one man left standing and he intends to find him.

Llewelyn goes off in search and before long he spots who he was looking for underneath a tree, but the man is no longer standing. In his dead hand is a pistol and beside him is a satchel full of money. It is then that Llewelyn must make a decision and he makes it quickly as he picks up the satchel and heads for home. Little does he know that a man by the name of Anton Chigurh is the owner of that money and he wants it back no matter what the cost may be. So sets out a game of cat and mouse where Llewelyn is on the run and not scared to protect himself even if it means killing another man. But Chigurh is the type that kills other men simply for getting the call wrong on a coin toss. The battle wages on with a few other lives tossed into the fray and it becomes a battle strictly for survival.

No Country For Old Men would have gotten my vote hands down for the best film of 2007 if I had a vote. I know Zodiac got much of my love, but damn was this an awesome flick. Let’s first start out with the fantastic cast. Josh Brolin has come a long way from being the protective, yet bothersome, older brother in The Goonies. He is just great as Llewelyn Moss and honestly made me feel as if his life was always on the line. Javier Bardem is someone whose work I have never seen before, but would be willing to see it every single day if possible. His portrayal of the sadistic and heartless, but playful, Chigurh will send chills up and down your spine. Just hearing him casually say “Call it,” made me cringe every time. Tommy Lee Jones has long since proved his star status in Hollywood and he does it again all on his own here. You’ll understand what is meant by that when you watch it for I don’t wish to spoil it for you. Throw in other great performances from Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, and Barry Corbin and you’ve got yourself a phenomenal cast.

The story here is very simple. Unsuspecting good guy stumbles across some money in a drug deal gone wrong and decides to take it. Bad guy wants his money back so goes out on the hunt for it. Longtime cop that is just too old for all of this tries his best to keep the death to a bear minimum, but is stressed even more so by the good guy’s wife being in the picture and also being a longtime friend. There isn’t much at all to No Country For Old Men in terms of plot, but it’s the way that it is delivered that makes it so good. Each line is spoken with so much feeling and emphasis that you will be sucked into it all and hanging on every word.

The special features include some quotes from a few of the actors and Tommy Lee Jones kind of describes it best. He calls the film a comedy/horror. And you know what? He is dead on accurate. There is a lot of humor in it even though you won’t be expecting it. Some of the one-liners from Brolin’s character are just downright hilarious. Bardem even appears extremely funny at times even though his masochistic side is the dominant personality. Tommy Lee Jones is just an old sheriff with plenty of great corny stories to tell that will have you giggling as well. Then there is the horror aspect of it all. Don’t call it a thriller because it just doesn’t fit the definition. No Country For Old Men will scare you in ways that you didn’t think possible without having some mutant psycho killer with a machete or claws for fingers. It incorporates fear that will start at your toes and work its way up to the lump in your throat and into your mind. Fear that makes you happy it’s just a film and not a situation you yourself are placed into.

The film is shown in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and it looks beautiful even though it is so tragic and grotesque at times. Every single color is bright where it needs to be (such as blood) while others are dark and dull where they need to be (like some of the desert scenes). It really is beautifully shot.

The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and also sounds very good. There isn’t much of a score whatsoever to listen for so just listen for all the dialogue and the sound of bullets flying and hitting their targets.

The Making Of No Country For Old Men – A twenty-four minute “making of” documentary that tells a lot about how much the Coen brothers put into this film. Not only do you see a little backstage stuff here and there, and also hear from all the actors and the brothers, but you get reasons why certain people were chosen for certain roles. This is one of the more informative featurettes I’ve seen in quite some time.

Working With The Coens – This eight minute feature has the actors describing what it is like to work with the Coen Brothers. Not too much here, but it’s fun hearing the different perspectives.

Diary Of A County Sheriff – Here is a feature that you would expect to be totally about Tommy Lee Jones and his character but it isn’t. It starts out that way but then goes into views of real life as it compares to the film from all the main cast members. This feature runs six minutes and forty-four seconds.

TrailersNational Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets, Gone Baby Gone, and Dan In Real Life

There is a reason that No Country For Old Men got so much hype when it first arrived in theatres. It is honestly one of the best films I’ve seen in quite some time with three of the finest actors this industry has ever known. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the film a thriller, but it still kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the entire time. Bardem is one scary son of a bitch that can put the fear of God into a man simply by asking him a question. There aren’t many films I’d be willing to watch a second time right after completing my first go-round with it, but this is one of them. The special features aren’t much, but what’s there is really good. You know a special two-disc edition of this DVD is coming sooner rather then later. It’s just up to you whether you are willing to wait to watch it or just pony up and buy both versions eventually. I can’t help but recommend this DVD if just for the film alone even if there were no special features. You simply have a choice to make now…friendo.

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Miramax presents No Country For Old Men. Directed by: Coen Brothers. Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson. Written by: Coen Brothers (screenplay); Cormac McCarthy (novel). Running time: 122 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: March 11, 2008. Available at Amazon.com