No Country for Old Men

While there’s little doubt that No Country for Old Men is the Coen brothers’ most consistent and flat-out entertaining effort since 1996’s Fargo, the film nevertheless suffers from an egregiously deliberate pace and a needless emphasis on overly quirky supporting characters. The storyline follows Texan hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) as he stumbles upon a cache of dead bodies and over $2 million in drug money, and, after deciding to keep the dough for himself, soon finds himself being pursued by a merciless assassin (Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh). Infused with a bleak, surprisingly stark sensibility by directors Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men certainly possesses a number of exceedingly positive attributes – with Bardem’s terrifying and absolutely riveting performance clearly playing a significant role in the film’s success. And though the Coens effectively pepper the movie with a number of distinctly indelible moments (eg a sequence in which Chigurh decides the fate of a random shopkeeper with the flip of a coin), there does reach a point at which the viewer’s interest starts to wane (something that’s undoubtedly a result of the slow-moving vibe and overlong running time). Such concerns are exacerbated by a conclusion that feels strangely anti-climactic, and there’s ultimately no denying that the movie probably would’ve benefited from some judicious editing. Still, No Country for Old Men is often as suspenseful and compelling as anything within the Coens’ spotty filmography – which ultimately ensures that the film stands as a welcome comeback of sorts for the brothers.

*** out of ****