No Country for Old Men

This intense, tight thriller is possibly the greatest film of 2007. Period. Why? Well…The performances, especially that of Javier Bardem as a cold-blooded sociopath. The script, which doesn’t rely on violence and blood, a rarity in thrillers. The editing. The editing is what makes the film click, what makes it run. It literally kept the audience on the edge of their seat. And the ending. The ending is cryptic, poetic, and truly feels natural. But remember to pay attention.

Llewyn Moss is a poor Vietnam veteran hunter in 1980. He’s hunting in the desert and stumbles upon $2 million in drug money and several dead bodies. He takes the money, but a badly wounded gangster sees him. This incurs the wrath of both the Mexican mob, and Anton Chigurh, a hitman whose eyes you stare into and you see coldness, death, and madness reminiscent of the Terminator. But a local sheriff, played well by Tommy Lee Jones, tries to protect Moss...but there’s much more at large, and at stake, than originally thought.

After seeing the ending, a lot of people, including myself, thought “That was it?” But when you see it, think about it hard, and it will come to you. Its little subtleties like that which add so much more to the film. Javier Bardem is nothing short of Oscar-worthy as psychopath Anton Chigurh, and Josh Brolin gives a wounded performance as Llewyn Moss, a hunter on the run from Chigurh. Just see the scene where he asks a man on the street for a coat.

It’s such a surprise to see a film so intense and thrilling, yet so well-made. Expect many Oscars for No Country. A