With their own brand of subtle, dry humor and their matter-of-fact sensibilities for violence, the Coen Brothers have, in my opinion, come closer to the throne of Alfred Hitchcock than any directors in recent memory with No Country For Old Men. This movie oozed suspense and dramatic tension, and I'm shocked to hear someone say that they were bored at any time while watching it.
I was the opposite. I was terrified. Slow and quiet scenes in the film made me uncomfortable. Impending moments of doom were as shocking as I expected them to be and the unexpected moments of chaos caused me to jump, cover my eyes, and even verbally respond while watching (which isn't something I tend to do).
And then there's Javier Bardem. Boy...for once the person winning all of the awards DESERVES it! I didn't sleep very well the night after I saw this. I'm haunted by him. A performance for the ages.
As for the rest of the film, it is a master class of filmmaking in two hours. Being the film nut that I am, I found the frame compositions and camera work to be as exciting as the story itself. And I love the fact that this movie can play to the common viewer as a standard thriller, when in fact it's so much more than that.
I saw it as a statement on the American desire to fix problems as fast as possible. How do you find two million dollars like that and expect to get away with keeping it? But at the same time, why wouldn't you take that chance?
Stellar acting, stellar direction, stellar everything. Oh, and that open-ended finish...the one that's not satisfying? One thought: SHOULD it be?
4.0 out of 4
Sunday, 19 April 2009
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