No Country For Old Men

“What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss?”

The Coens’ new cat-and-mouse thriller re-explores their favourite themes

The Coens have a thing about free will and chance – one would be incredibly hard pressed to find one of their films that doesn’t at least touch these ideas. No Country For Old Men is no exception. Set in 1970 Texas, this film follows characters that are linked to a drug deal gone wrong. The film’s strong cast includes a resourceful Texan with an illicit bag of money (Josh Brolin), the sociopath killer who has claims on it (Javier Bardem), and a sheriff trying to protect lives (Tommy Lee Jones).

One thing that does impress me about this film is its strange ability to keep the viewer interested, despite the fact that there isn’t a whole lot to be said about the characters or the plot. Quite simply, they’re a little bit bland. It is true that Javier Bardem’s character, Anton Chigurgh, may be the most intriguing and frightening killer since Hannibal Lecter, but I would go as far to suggest that the haircut is a huge factor; without it, I’m not entirely sure that Chigurgh would be a character to write home about. Nonetheless, I give Mr Bardem the credit he deserves for a role well played.

When I saw this movie in the cinema, I noticed one huge similarity this movie shares with its brother film, Fargo: I think this movie is meant to be funny. We all remember Fargo. There was blood, spouses that put hits on each other, corrupt cops. But, didn’t the Minnesota accents make us laugh? It has been interpreted by film critics as a thriller and a dark comedy. This is exactly the same way. But, instead of Minnesotan accents, we have Texan accents that are just as funny. I had to hold back a couple laughs, in fear of being the only sick-minded creep to laugh in the packed cinema. But, you decide for yourself!

As mentioned before, this movie explores themes not new to the Coens – free will and chance. The film concentrates more on the latter; the killer Chigurgh carries around a coin, often basing his decisions on the flip of the coin. Though we never know the ambivalence that warrants the coin toss, we are lead to believe that it is nonetheless significant. Free will? It’s given to us very plainly that things could be different if the characters make alternative choices – the most important of which involves Llewellyn Moss’s (Josh Brolin) and his wife Norma Jean (Kelly MacDonald). The themes are much more clearly presented in this film, and they now seem even more intriguing. I’m beginning to wonder what made this film so much more interesting. But, to its credit, it was more enjoyable to watch than any other Coen film, which is certainly saying something.

Overall, this film had good acting. It had a bland plot and bland characters that seemed very interesting. It was substantive, but it’s certainly the last time the Coens can make a film about chance or free will; it’s time for something new. I wanted to see it again after the first time, because it was thought provoking. It certainly got be interested, and, for that, I give it a B+.