Either love or hate it (No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray))

Member Name: JulieTese

Product:	No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray)
Date:	05/08/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Impeccable acting

Disadvantages: Cold

A Texan welder stumbles across two million dollars of drug money, left in a vehicle after a shoot out which leaves men strewn around dead and dying. He makes the bad, bad decision to take it, then makes the even worse decision to return and give water to one of the dying men. He is seen, and a psychopathic hit man gets on his trail with dire consequences for the welder, his family, and sundry other innocent people who get in the way.

I'm not on principle against violence in a film if it serves a purpose; but I do believe a film should engage me, my attention and sympathies fully. I am unable to put my finger on exactly why it is no Coen brothers film has ever succeeded in doing this with me. I disliked The Big Lebowski, Fargo, Raising Arizona and O Brother Where art Thou, before I even realised they had the same directors. If anyone was similarly left cold by those films, they are unlikely to enjoy No Country for Old Men.

The possible clue linking them was in the difficulty I had in all of them catching what was being said

Yes, the acting is impeccable - the baddie Javier Bardem is the epitome of how baddie-dom should be done - yes, the suspense factor and action scenes are great. But what is it with the frozen wall of lack of caring, the feeling of detachment surrounding the plot and characters? I just don't get it. If you can sit through two hours of a stream of people being killed in a variety of brutal ways and not expect any resolution at the end, if you enjoyed all the films I mention above, then give this a go. Otherwise probably not.

[Review first appeared on Amazon]

Summary: Yes, if you like the Coen brothers