The Bus

Just got back from an early screening of No Country for Old Men. I figured I'd start a new thread since the previous threads had to do with Cannes and what not.

First off, I have to say that I am not a Coen Bros. fanatic or a completist. I've seen Fargo and Big Lebowski many times and I like them but they're not in my top ten of any list. I turned off Intolerable Cruelty when it was on TV, it just didn't seem interesting. So I did not come in with very high expectations outside of the trailer, which I thought was phenomenal.

Well, the film delivers. The first half of the movie is incredibly desolate, and we see each our characters by themselves, figuratively or literally. There's Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, a resourceful Texan who happens upon a bag of cash. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), the psychopath murdererer and Ed Tom (Tommy Lee Jones) as the sheriff, both on his trail. Yes, there names are phonetically identical in the drawl that permeates the film. All three of these figures begin the movie alone, and they're slowly drawn together by a threadbare (let's call it economic) plot: bag of money disappears, hitman follows the money, law follows the hitman, drama ensues. It works well and it has some nice surprises.

But what is wrapped around this plot is what makes it tick, and this is where the Coen brothers come in. I don't remember seeing a movie this desolate in theatres in a long time. It's a surprise if there's ever more than one person on camera and in the few instances where there's three or four people, it seems incredibly crowded. What Vicent Gallo attempted in Brown Bunny that completely ground the film to a halt the Coens master here while they keep the movie going. It's a pretty clear message: in this world, every man is out for himself.

The other thing that the Coens (I guess) are known for is the humor. There's a scene midway through the movie where the sheriff and the deputy are discussing some off-the-wall crime. The deputy laughs (as does the audience) and we very suddenly get a look of reprimand from the sheriff. In this situation, what can you do but laugh? he says. Fargo derived a lot of its humor from the very quirky characters (and their funny accents! ha!) but here the humor rises out of desperation and it synchs so well with the material that it feels completely natural and not tacked on (with the exception of the scenes with the mother-in-law).

The movie does start to slow down and fall apart at the very end, but it's such a great ride up to that point that it's easy to forgive and overlook. The ending, while it's not a twist, did get a lot of feedback from the audience.

Not a masterpiece, but damn near it.

Big Worms

Thanks for the review. I have been waiting for this movie for a while now. So look forward to it.

Cory02

Really looking forward to this. Of course, it doesn't seem to be opening in my area this weekend. Hopefully it'll show up soon.

FantasticVSDoom

The book kinda falls apart at the end as well (not really bad, but just drags on a bit) so it seems they stayed the course on this one... But still cant wait to see it (hopefully tomorrow).

Brack

the trailer kicks ass

nateman

Quoted for truth.

I always wait for movies to hit DVD (Don’t go to theatre’s anymore) and I can’t wait ti’ll this one comes out.

Duality

Risking sounding shallow: Where are all the fun movies this Fall?

Brack

You got Fred Clause tomorrow

FantasticVSDoom

At 3:00pm today at the Apple Store in SOHO, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem will be there showing clips and answering questions. Looks like I took the wrong day off of work, would have been a nice b-day present to go down there today.

Big Worms

Damn it. So excited to see this movie, and guess what. Not showing in my area either.

GoldenJCJ

This is probably my most anticipated film of the year for me. For me, the Coens are usually hit or miss. I think I've actually disliked more of their movies than I've liked yet I still think they're good filmmakers.

I'm not crazy about Javier Bardem as an actor but I actually had a nightmare a few weeks ago about his character in this movie. And that was just after seeing the TRAILER!

TheNightFlier

Likewise. Not showing anywhere by me. I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

zekeburger1979

Roger Ebert's 4-star review of No Country for Old Men

According to Box Office Mojo, NCFOM has the following release schedule:

11/9: 28 screens
11/16: 130 screens
11/23: Wide release

conscience

I cannot wait. Sped through the book. Love Bardem and the Coens.

FantasticVSDoom

Great movie, and pretty faithful to the book (some changes, but not much)... Bardem was great as was Brolin and Jones. But its Bardem who really just shines here. He may be the next big iconic bad ass.

One thing I like about the Coen brothers is their not afraid to take some risks... Sure some movies don't quite work, but when they do work, it doesnt get much better.

RyoHazuki

Saw it tonight and really enjoyed it. Great performances all around.

I like how Ebert gushes about the Coens writing when his Miller Crossing review said "Everything is too designed. That goes for the plot and the dialogue, too. The dialogue is well-written, but it is indeed written. We admire the prose rather than the message."

woofman

Seeing a screening of this next Wednesday, looking forward to it!

BJacks

Saw the film (loved it), but haven't read the book. Could you spoilerize what the changes were?

clemente

Those are my feelings exactly. The film is near great. Bardem, Jones, and Brolin are really good. If I wasn't a grown man, I might have nightmares about Bardem's character.

The only fault I can level at the movie is that it falls apart at the end. The Cohen's create this ever-present mode of tension that it might have been impossible to fully realize the climax of this movie, but the way they choose just left me really unsatisfied.

But don't let that keep you from seeing this movie, because of the ending, I'm would be tempted to give the movie only 3-1/2 stars (were I a reviewer), but no, its still a 4 star movie....its that good.

Mr. Cinema

This has been #1 on my must watch list all year. It doesn't go officially wide until 11/23, but it should expand alittle next weekend, which I think gives it a good chance to show up here.

Brack

Actually it's going wide 11/21, the day before Thanksgiving.

FantasticVSDoom

Like I said there wasnt much. but what I can remember right now is:



I think thats about it. Some scenes play a little longer in the book, but none of the above really diminish much though.

I agree wholeheartedly, however Im not sure if this is the sole fault of the Coen's because like I said before, this is pretty much what happens in the book. My same criticisms of the movie were the same as the book.

The Bus

What a pickle. Was up in NYC for the day and decided to go see it again. It was sold out everywhere.

vman69

saw it tonight in Plano at the Angelika,what a great movie,we're going to pick up the book and can't wait till it hits DVD.

slop101

I just got back from seeing it at the Arclight, and I thought it was an absolute fucking masterpiece. I'm a huge fan of the Coens, (their last two films, not withstanding), and I thought this easily one of their best, if not the best.