Movie Review: No Country for Old Men

Introduction

My first impression in watching the movie, No Country for Old Men,  was the silent cynicism that is expressed by every character (except the one played by Woody Harrelson) in this movie. Most of these guys are not much for talk, and the action in this movie solicits the idea of ' shoot first, then talk'. And shoot, they will. And whatever it takes to hang on to a bag of $ 2 million...

Plot

The story of No Country for Old Men begins with an tired, worn-out account of an aging Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, as he finds himself in the twilight of his life... helplessly watching the world change with the inability to keep up with it yet not deliberately so... wondering how his grandfather would cope with criminals in the world that we live in today.

And we can all agree with that...

Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), while hunting for deer, finds a bag filled with $ 2 million in cash and heroin from a drug deal that has gone bad. Come to think of it, when hasn't such deals stayed good. All the people involved have been killed in the 'transaction', and he's lucky to be around when no one's watching. Or so we think...

Upon finding the money, he sends his wife to her mother's while running off with the money, without knowing that a 'transponder' is in the bag of money, which allows his nemesis to track him (and the money, more importantly).

Which brings me to the character of Anton Chigurh (played by Jack Bardem), who has done such a fine job in this movie, playing one heck of a sociopath, led by principles... and not driven by money unlike the others! I see a bit of Harvey Two-face here with the coin tosses here... hehe!

What is interesting is the cylinder that he carries with him and a silenced shotgun that he remorselessly uses with deadly precision to decimate his victims. And I mean almost everyone that crosses his path, and that he needs something from... won't live to tell the tale...with the exception of Llewelyn Moss, who turns out to be quite the 'Nam' war veteran in evasive tactics and so on and so forth.

But with the unlimited resources that the money launderers and the drug pushers have... will Llewelyn get away with the $ 2 million that has come his way?

Or will he turn out to be another tragic victim to 'greed'?

Moments to Remember

- Every time Anton uses that cylinder of his... bizarre!

-The shootout between Anton and Llewelyn.

- The part where Anton's car gets hit by another car at a cross-section.

Quotes

1. The point being, even in the contest between man and steer, the issue isn't certain.

2. It's all the goddam money. The money and the drugs. It's just goddam beyond everything. What's it mean? What's it leading to?

3. People always say, "You don't have to do this".

In Closing

To put it simplistically, this movie is a gripping tale that reveals the extent to which one is willing to go for money. It's no surprise that recreational drugs are a big market in the United States, and this is story based on how well spread its tentacles are, with no regard for life or country leave along the old men.

What was fascinating about the movie is how incredibly slow it is, interspersed with spurts of bone-jarring violence that will wake you up. Yes, the movie is violent with scenes that only show ever so realistically, the lives of assassins, bounty-hunters, money launderers and people who get lucky! It is more likely to leave you in a state of wide-eyed disbelief in agreement with the sheriff that seems to feel that the world is indeed spinning out of control!

Watch it only if you have the stomach for extreme violence...