No Country For Old Men

I've just finished watching The Coen Brothers' film Oscar winning "No Country For Old Men" (US 2007), I think it could possibly one of the strangest Best Picture Winners ever.

Josh Brolin plays a game hunter who discovers the aftermath of a drugs-deal gone wrong, finding a suitcase containing $2 million. When Brolin makes off with the cash psychopathic bounty hunter Anton Chigurh [Javier Bardem] relentlessly pursues him.

Tommy Lee Jones plays an aging Texan sheriff determined to track them down, horrified by the savageness of the modern world, while believing in an imaginary, nostagic America of the past(a myth that the film takes apart).

The direction is surperb; the tension is built excellently throughout and the pace never lets up. The film also plays with the conventions of the thriller in that the 3 leads never meet, there is no great final shootout. In many ways this film is quite a departure for the Coens. It's their first adaptation (from Cormac McCarthy's novel) and although known for their witty dialouge, for many sections of the film there is no talking with most being taken from the book verbattem. This is possibly their most violent film but one that doesn't play it for laughs like their previous films (no foot in the wood-chipper here). But the film remains essestially Coen; it's surreal, thrilling and with a dark humour that runs throughout.

Also of note is Roger Deakins fantastic cinematography.

This is a must-see.