No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men(The Coen Brothers, 2007) is a crime/thriller directed by the Coen Brothers. The movie tells the story of Luwelin Moss( Josh Brolin), a young hunter who one day accidentally stumbles across the crime scene of a drug deal gone very wrong. Upon finding a brief case of 2 million dollars, Moss decides to take the money and run, attracting the attention of local sherif Tom Bell(Tommy Lee Jones), and ruthless killer assassin Anton Chigurah(Javier Bardem). As the movie goes on, more characters are introduced and more are killed, as the events gradually escalate into a 2 hour long sequence of suspense and violence, in a country unfit for old men.

One of the best aspects of the movie is the character of Anton Chigurah. Played to a T by Javier Bardem, who actually won an Oscar for his performance, this unstoppable force kills almost everyone who he meets in the film, and savagely mocks his prey with taunts and ironic philosophical questions, before putting them to the gun, or the coin. In a few instances in the film Anton gives his victims the choice of heads or tails, and if they choose what side the coin will land on correctly, they win. If they lose, they die. These moments make for some of the best scenes of suspense in cinematic history, but they also serve as a metaphor of death, and the complete randomness of it.

We see throughout the film the completely brutal efficiency and violence that Anton dispatches people with, and his complete lack of emotion and hesitance in doing so. After a while, it may become evident that Anton is almost a walking image of death. But in these coin toss scenes, we see that he still has his own set of morals. If they win, he lets them live, and vice versa. But in these moments the Coen Brothers show that Anton, like death, is random, and may or may not happen at any moment, hence the 50/50 chances of the coin toss.

Another aspect of the film that makes it so successful and beloved amongst film lovers and critics around the world is its genius scenes of suspense building. Scenes such as the coin toss moments are extremely good at creating tension, both from the excellent writing, acting, and use of cinematography. There is also no music whatsoever in the movie, which is perfect for creating suspense and letting the course of events play out uninterrupted, and lets the audience stay immersed in the situation. The mise en scene is also utilised well, with a lack of interesting items in the background of a scene, The Coen Brothers direct all attention on the characters and the things happening in the foreground.

The sound design also plays a crucial part in the method of suspense building in the movie. The long, drawn out silences build suspense, and these can go on for minutes at a time, with the only noises being footsteps, the wind, or even just the breathing of the character in the shot. This massive suspense is, in some scenes, slowly bled out, like in the first coin toss scene, where nothing intense happens, but the viewer is left on edge from the suspense built up throughout the scene. In other scenes though, that suspense comes to a climax in a sudden moment of intensity. This happens a few times in the movie. For example, when Anton arms himself, and then slowly approaches the motel room. He takes his shoes off to avoid making noise, which quietly signals to the viewer that something violent is about to occur. At the same time, the perspective cuts back to Moss, who is desperately trying to drag the briefcase of money through a vent. The lack of noise up to this point makes the squeaking of the case on metal an agonising moment of nail biting tension.

The way that the perspective keeps on switching between Anton and Moss is how the directors make the audience wonder what will happen next, and if Anton will enter the room as Moss has his back turned, or if Moss is prepared. The moment when all of the drawn out suspense climaxes is when Anton’s cattle gun shoots out the lock of the motel room, which, due to an abundance of silence up to this point, is extremely loud and shocking to the viewer, making it an effective use of built up tension. The intensity and violence of the events that follow are just the icing on the cake of this already incredible scene.

Lighting is also used amazingly throughout the movie. The way that shots are often placed on dark areas force the viewer to wonder whether or not someone or something is there. In some scenes, Anton is mostly covered in shadow from being in darker areas, and this is a good method of making him seem inhuman. Like a monster hiding away from the light, making him and even more terrifying antagonist.

All in all, no Country For Old Men is one of the most intense, immersive, exiting and engrossing movies of all time. It has one of the most terrifying yet believable villains in cinematic history, uses lighting and sound design to create suspense, and expert cinematography to keep attention where the Coen Brothers want it to be. It is easily one of the best movies of all time, and that’s why I rate it 4 and a half stars!