"There are no clean getaways."
Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.
Javier Bardem
Anton Chigurh
Tommy Lee Jones
Ed Tom Bell
Josh Brolin
Llewelyn Moss
Woody Harrelson
Carson Wells
Kelly Macdonald
Carla Jean Moss
Garret Dillahunt
Wendell
Tess Harper
Loretta Bell
Barry Corbin
Ellis
Stephen Root
Man Who Hires Wells
Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.
I watched this for the first time with a few friends as part of an ongoing movie night we shared. I think it was the most violent film we watched together. The plot is taut and somewhat riveting, with great dialogue and acting. At the same time, for me, it seemed rather bleak. I gradually had the sense it would not end well for nearly anybody. If it weren’t for the Tommy Lee Jones character, I am not sure I would have wanted to stick with it. He provides a sort of balance in the mood of the film. I am not a big fan of movies with super criminals. You know the ones — they seem to always be one step ahead of the hero or the authorities, free to run roughshod until that are defeated at the very end of the movie, if at all. Woody Harrelson delivers another one of his stellar performances. Who knew he would be so good very early on in his career? Oddly enough, No Country for Old Men caused metaphorical violence to our movie watch group, as there was an exchange that caused us to watch no more films together. Powerful stuff.
I can't say I view this one positively. I clearly don't get it, which I'm fine with. I'm all for films that don't play it so straight that it's predictable, but at the same time I'm rarely a fan of films that are so full of themselves to end in such a derisory way. Listen, that's probably harsh as it is still a good flick no doubt, but 'No Country for Old Men' is highly unsatisfactory and highly uninspiring for me. I will say that I have no issues with the cast whatsoever, they are all fantastic. Javier Bardem is awesome, easily the star, and Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson are all top value. Kelly Macdonald and Garret Dillahunt are also involved, I like them too. Stephen Root, Mr. 'L for Love' himself, as well. Away from the onscreen bunch, the cinematography is superb. It's the story. I didn't get what I wanted from it, at all. All the ingredients are there for a 10/10 film, that's the level I was expecting it to reach based on the opening half or so. The second half though... super disappointing! So many underwhelming choices. Such a waste of a strong cast... 'The Counselor'-esque. Bardem is also in that, sorry my dude! The fact I'm still giving this what I consider to be a positive rating shows how much the conclusion frustrated me. This had top tier written all over it but it somehow messed it up as it went by... and I'm not usually one to dig out a film's ending. In my defence, even some reviews (many, in fact) from people who love the film mention that the ending isn't perfect so I guess it just comes down to how the final moments sit with you. For me, evidently not good!
**Enjoyed it. Go watch it. But don't expect a masterpiece.** There is no denying this is a very well-done film with incredible actors and storytelling. Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh stands out immediately as a new iconic film villain full of foreboding relentless focus and cold uncaring presence. No Country is clearly a product of the Coen Brothers' unique charm and style. It boasts some tense shoot-outs, and the uncompromising pursuit of Josh Brolin's character was fantastic. Unfortunately, it drags along in some places but by design. The ending is probably supposed to be symbolic and clever, but it was sudden and lost on me (a guy that takes pretty much everything at face value). All in all, it's a good movie, but I am at a loss for why it won an Oscar for Best Picture (although I don't think it had much competition from Transformers or Shrek the Third).
Javier Bardem is just great in this! He is "Anton", a ruthlessly efficient killer on the hunt for a missing bag of loot that has fallen into the hands of the opportunistic "Moss" (Josh Brolin) after a drug deal goes awry. The latter man soon cottons onto the fact that his life is now considerably more at risk and he has to figure just out how to survive long enough to escape and enjoy his cash. "Moss" might just have an unlikely and unwitting ally, though, in the form of the pursuing but rather unenthusiastic sheriff "Bell" (Tommy Lee Jones) but, well you just wouldn't want to bet against the truly menacing Bardem! It's violent and brutal, sure - but it's also darkly humorous with plenty of pithy banter and quite some degree of characterisation from both Brolin and Bardem as the denouement looms large. That conclusion is as unpredictable as the rest of this quirkily scary and entertaining crime drama that uses an oxygen cylinder with startlingly effective results in this game of lethal Russian Roulette. Nobody is safe, nobody is innocent - and it doesn't matter whose side you are, ostensibly, on either. It's perfectly paced by the Coen brothers, the characters and the story given ample opportunity to develop and to breathe and by the conclusion I was definitely rooting for someone! It has shades of the old wild-west Texan Western genre to it, it reeks of authenticity and is really well worth a watch.
This is a spoiled brat Hollywood formula version of the classic film NIGHTFALL. It is so parallel to Nightfall that there is no doubt that McCarthy wrote it as a brattish rewrite of the classic film. By "brat" I mean it is contrived to appease the control freak nature of the immature and spoiled American. I doubt this will fare well in the future, and if anything, it will cause a renewed interest in Nightfall, with Aldo Ray and Brian Keith. Like Nightfall, we have an investigator who feels he is in over his head in a case of money stolen from hoodlums. Like Nightfall, the hero stumbles across stolen money and is also in over his head. Like Nightfall, there is a sadist who makes a game out of killing his victims. Like Nightfall, the sadist has an ally who is repulsed by the sadist, and is killed by the sadist. The only difference is that "No Country" presents the hoodlums as the "gods" that dorks worship so much. Also, in total plagiarism of Nightfall, the sadistic killer entices his victims to believe there is a contest, when in reality, the killer is going to decide the fate no matter what. In "No Country", it's the toss of a coin, but anyuone who knows sadists knows that it's a rigged contest. "No Country For Old Men" presents the sadist in the usual Hollywood formula of being immortal and godlike. In "Nightfall", the sadist is a mortal. "No Country" endeavors to contrive every bit of the story to show that if you're sadistic enough, you are immortal, the true Hollywood formula since about 1965. (Godfather and other gangster movies, Leone westerns, almost all horror movies e.g.). So, we have a total lack of risk taking in McCarthy writing the total "safe" Hollywood story, to join the innumerable other such Hollywood stories that fail to either inspire or instruct, meant only to make the Beavis and Butthead viewers guffaw with delight.
Only the second time seeing this but this is a well done western-drama with amazing performances, most notably Javier Bardem and to a lesser extent, Josh Brolin. I don't think it's a great movie especially compared to a movie like Hell or High Water, but still highly entertaining. **3.75/5**
Lean, mean Texas Ranger Jack Benteen locks horns with a former friend, Cash Bailey, now a ruthless drug kingpin. Though they're on opposite sides of the law, they share a love interest in the sensual Sarita. When a crew of rogue soldiers descends upon the border town for an off-the-books mission, all roads lead to a bloody, to-the-death showdown, as loyalties shift and the lines between good and evil are blurred.
In 1897, veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund is deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens — a sworn enemy he sent to prison years before. Max is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd, the wife of a wealthy businessman, who as the story is told to Max, has been abducted by Buffalo Soldier Elijah Jones. Max is ultimately faced with a showdown to save honor.
When a mysterious prisoner lands in jail, a border town sheriff faces the wrath of a brutal cartel.
An innocent young man, Jack, goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones, a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart prostitute. The gang tracks Cut Throat Bill into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign.
Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends, but instead of obtaining a small amount of money, they discover they stole a very large amount of money belonging to the mob. Charley must now come up with a plan to not only evade the police but the mob as well.
When rancher and single mother of two Maggie Gilkeson sees her teenage daughter, Lily, kidnapped by Apache rebels, she reluctantly accepts the help of her estranged father, Samuel, in tracking down the kidnappers. Along the way, the two must learn to reconcile the past and work together if they are going to have any hope of getting Lily back before she is taken over the border and forced to become a prostitute.
After she's raped by the outlaw trio who murdered her husband, a frontierswoman hires a bounty hunter to instruct her in the ways of a gun in order to exact her revenge.
Ray Owens is sheriff of the quiet US border town of Sommerton Junction after leaving the LAPD following a bungled operation. Following his escape from the FBI, a notorious drug baron, his gang, and a hostage are heading toward Sommerton Junction where the police are preparing to make a last stand to intercept them before they cross the border. Owens is reluctant to become involved but ultimately joins in with the law enforcement efforts.
In 1909, Willie Boy and his love Carlota go on the run after he accidentally shoots her father in a confrontation gone terribly wrong. With President Taft coming to the area, the local sheriff leads two Native American trackers seeking justice for their “murdered” tribal leader.
While driving through the New Mexico Desert during a rainy night, college students Jim Halsey and his girlfriend Grace Andrews give a ride to a hitchhiker. While in their car, the stranger proves to be a psychopath threatening the young couple with a knife, but Jim successfully throws him out of the car. This sets off a chain of events that will change all of their lives forever.