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Do you like violent movies?
I don’t.
Iabsolutely detest the whole idea of the new genre of violence in moviessuch as Saw, Hostel, and other horror movies so dubbed “Torture Porn”In fact such movies make me question the nature of the audiences thatpopulate the seats of theaters nationwide, and their desire to see suchhorrendous stuff. It makes my knees quiver to ever contemplate thathumans actually enjoy seeing that kind of treatment of other humans. Iabhor the thought that some impressionable person will see this stuffand not think twice about re-creating it in real life down the road.
IfI feel so strongly about this…why in the world do I like No Country forOld Men?? I really needed to study my opinion about this movie and findout why I liked it, and why I thought it was worthwhile.
NoCountry for Old Men won Best Picture of the Year at the 2008 OscarAwards, and Ashland Street Cinema has re-released it on the big screenas an encore showing. I had wavered in my desire to watch it forawhile, but last Sunday my friend Jackie and I decided to risk the$7.50 and watch the movie. No Country for Old Men is also out on videonow.
Basedon previous reviews, the reputation of the Cohen Brothers, and the wordon the street, I certainly wasn’t expecting butterflies and flowers. However,what I saw and experienced has certainly made me think hard about myreaction, and why after it was over my immediate reaction, was “Wow!That’s a good movie!”
Theviolent crimes portrayed in “No Country” were utterly senseless,completely without even sympathetic inference for the main character,Chigurh, who was played flawlessly by Javier Bardem. This character wassubtle and frightening in his lack of conscience and completeamorality. His whole persona was “death”, and the advance thereof wascertain, steady, random and without pity.
Whileout hunting, Lewellyn Moss stumbles upon the remains of anold-fashioned shoot out in the desert. A drug deal gone bad, there arebodies everywhere, complete with a pickup load of heroin and a blackbag full of crisp $100 bills..a lot of $100 bills. Knowing better, butdeciding against his better judgement, Lewellyn swipes the cash forhimself.
SherriffBell (Tommy Lee Jones)is the law man that draws the undesirable task oftracking the assassin, Lewellyn, and the money through the blood baththat ensues across the country and down into Mexico. Sherriff Bell is aman with history and he’s troubled by it. His father and grandfatherhad been law men before him and had defended their territory fromgenerations of outlaws and criminals.
Whileshocking in its severity and random nature, the violence portrayed inthe film didn’t feel gratuitous, only grimly realistic. One of thereasons I liked “No Country” is its perceptive commentary on the natureof man, the nature of violence and the nature of greed. It showed theturning point in history (circa 1980) and the drug trade, how itaffected a culture and changed forever the way police fought againstthe oncoming tsunami of crime and drug abuse. There was no turning backthe tide of the future. “No Country” is a snapshot in time and place.Whether, in the city or in the desert, a new hard generation had takenthe place of the old guard and swept away any authority the previouslawmen might have had. Making it, indeed…no country for old men.
Ifyou’re looking for a good Triple play sometime, and enjoy this samegenre, I highly recommend the following to accompany “No Country forOld Men”. Prepare yourself…you’re in for quite an afternoon.
“The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” 2005, Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, starring “himself”, Mike Norton and Dwight Yoakam
“Lonestar” 1996, Directed by Jon Sayles, starring Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena and Kris Kristofferson.
