Steven ChandlerNo Country for Old Men
January 17th 2008 09:56
I recently wrote of the Coen’s. I dubbed them two of the finest film-makers working today. They have a control over their material which is not uncommon, but their level of control is scarce. Their ability to write for screen then transfer their vision to it I find truly remarkable. Together with Roger Deakins they have the capacity to bring us true works of art, visual petifores for our eyes and minds. Stories that transcend tales, films that we feel not just watch, the ability to tap into the human psyche that takes a certain madness, a certain empathy, and a massive dose of talent.
‘No Country for old Men’ is an example of this talent so apparent, like a batter at the crease for sixty overs can see the ball spin, he need only glance at the ball come of the bowlers hand to read which way it is to turn, soon the Coen’s adroitness will suggest the batter will read the ball before it leaves the bowlers hand,(I am referring to their talent not to the stories they tell).
No Country for Old Men delivers (to be honest) a prosaic tale of “man on run“, lonesome cowboy finds the spoils of a drug deal gone wrong and decides against all better judgement to keep the spoils. Bad men are sent to retrieve the money and to execute the hindrance who thought he could win this dangerous lottery, it’s not an original tale! (I haven't read the book but i exspect it would be a great book. Cormic MaCathy I have heard many good thing about).
It is how the writer and director choose to deliver these tales that make them what they are. The chooses made in casting and the other key persons they trust to realise their vision, the Coen’s are masters of (think of a bad film they have made excluding Intolerable Cruelty*). I feel that their genius strokes begin with their casting with regards to No Country.
Forget all you know of bad guys in film, because until you’ve seen ‘No Country for Old Men‘, you ain’t seen nothing.
In you’re life you will meet an assortment of people, good people bad people, then occasionally you will come across truly evil people. Many of us have encountered these types and many of us have been fortunate enough to pass by unharmed, ignorant to the peril we were close to. In my life I have met people who have killed people, and conversed and felt that they were normal, I have also met people that I have shared trace amounts of words with and removed myself from their presence because of a feeling, my brain screaming get away from this person they are wrong, they are evil, they have nothing inside but the desire for the malefic.
If only we could be that lucky all the time.
Anton Chigurh (Javier Barden) is one of these people, and if you have the misfortune to come across his path, if his coin travels to you; then my friend I hope that you have lived you’re life to the fullest, for you’re path in this world has ended and the horrible truth of the situation is that you will know it is coming and you will still be unable to act upon it. You will stand and wait for you’re doom even if you delude yourself into thinking “if I’m going to die I’m going to die trying” no you won’t, you will let Anton kill you because he is death personified, he is a malevolent angel walking this earth in camp cowboy boots and the denim track suit, he is the type of man packs a silenced shotgun, he is the contents of nightmares, he is the evil of the world moulded into a man, he is intoxicating.
Javier Barden should be big time, I know he’s known but from the small samples of his body of work** I have seen we have amongst us a truly great actor. Charismatic a presence that is there with only the truly great actors, the actors that can stand still and do nothing and still we can’t take our eyes from them.
Barden portrayal of Chigurh is Oscar worthy, I lament never have I seen a man as bad as he. A professionalism in his masochism, a ethic in his death dealing, and a hint of mercy in his malevolence. For the rest of my life I shell never forget this man, and for the rest of my life I hope never to cross his path for that is the day death paid a visit, and that was the day Tza Drake died.
No country is not just exceptional due to one performance, a close second third photo finish is Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, and in this race I give it to the old rooster just piping the young cock at the post. Tommy Lee delivers a performance that is spattered in shades of ‘Three Burials’ but in No Country there is a more reserved quality, he is the quiet sheriff, the pondering country flatfoot who is deathly aware to what is occurring around him and petrified of what he is hunting, deep down he doesn’t want to catch Chigurh as this would mean meeting the man (now I have had a debated this meeting and if it occurs and it is slightly ambiguous or if I’m missing something having only one view I am blind, or simple blinded to everything else that I have been shown).
Bell’s simple way is a compliment to the film and his role in it, which is the genius of Lee and the Coen’s. As he ostensible does little to fight the volatile events that unfold about him he appears as if he would prefer to remain a step behind his prey, but as with chess, he is the player whom has realised he is two moves behind his opponent and is now trying to predict his opponents next four moves to be able to catch him on his fifth. What is seriously hindering Bell is that he was not present for the opening move, and he unable to see his opponents motivation of attack to achieve his checkmate, but we really know that the King is not the target it’s the Queen.
Moss (Josh Brolin) is the good chess player pitting his wits against a master achieving the take of the queen as the master has ceded it before the game began to make the game interesting and is now slowly taking his Moss’s army apart, bishops, knights, a rooks, till finally Moss is left with a pawn to protect his king while Chigurh is moving toward regaining his queen.
Convoluted comparison I know, but if you know chess and you see this film you will wake to what I am saying.
So let me get down to brass tacks. ‘No Country for Old Men’ I feel will remain in my top five for this year. It is everything I want from a film in the words of my friend Ollie “it’s grunty, it’s a mans film it’s just the shit mate”. I cannot recommend this film more highly, and I’m not just saying that because everyone else probably is, I’m saying it because it’s true, behold the Coen’s latest creation for it is something special.
9/10
* The Coen Brothers were brought in last moment to take over this failing project, this is their Spartacus.
**The Dancer Upstairs (directed by J Malcovich) a beautiful film, I mean a true work of art.
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Comment by Tracy
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This is film I've been meaning to see since it came out...maybe this weekend,
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