Chigurh ain't no sugar (No Country For Old Men (DVD))

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	No Country For Old Men (DVD)
Date:	31/03/09 (199 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb acting, beautifully filmed

Disadvantages: Some will find it deeply depressing

When Llewelyn Moss comes across a drug deal gone wrong, his first reaction isn't to help the one man he finds still alive, but to make off with the huge pile of cash he finds in a briefcase. It soon becomes clear, however, that the person who owns the money wants it back; not only that, but he is prepared to gun Llewelyn down as soon as look at him. The man in question is called Anton Chigurh, and he is prepared to chase Llewelyn to the ends of the earth in order to get his money back. Llewelyn flees, after ensuring that his wife is somewhere safe. In the meantime, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is in charge of the investigation into Chigurh's many crimes. Will he manage to get to Chigurh before Chigurh gets to Llewelyn? Will Llewelyn be able to escape with both the money and his life?

I'm always dubious about watching films that have been hyped up to the hilt like this one. More often than not, I'm disappointed because they don't live up to expectations. Finally, however, I succumbed to the draw of No Country for Old Men, simply because it sounds like exactly the sort of film I would enjoy. The fact that it is directed and written by the Coen brothers is neither here nor there for me - I have loved some of their films, particularly Fargo and The Big Lebowski, but hated others, such as Intolerable Cruelty and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Then again, knowing that the story is based on a book by Cormac McCarthy did give me more than a glimmer of hope.

I've heard so many great things about Javier Bardem's performance as Anton Chigurh in this film. I have seen Bardem act before, although only in Spanish language films (including the brilliant Jamon Jamon), so was initially taken aback by how well he speaks English. He does have a slight accent, but it is otherwise excellent. Hopefully that means he will appear in more English language films in the future - I'm certainly looking forward to seeing him in the already released Love in the Time of Cholera as soon as I can get my hands on it. Simply put, this is a really stunning performance. Chigurh is a complete psychopath who thinks nothing of killing anyone who gets in his way. Bardem makes this utterly convincing, with a face that can occasionally charm, but usually strikes the fear of God into anyone who comes across him, including the audience (well, me, anyway). And this is all despite his silly haircut, which is a bob of the type I had in the nineties. I will watch this film again for Bardem's performance alone.

I thought Josh Brolin was excellent as Llewelyn Moss as well. Llewelyn isn't a pleasant man; he turned his back on a dying man and treats his wife like a doormat. Yet somehow Brolin manages to turn his character into an anti-hero - at least, I wanted him to escape from Chigurh's clutches even though he probably deserved all he got. I'm not familiar with Brolin as an actor - I haven't seen Grindhouse yet, although fully intend to, or any of his earlier films. However, on the basis of this film, I will certainly keep a tab on him in the future. I have to mention Kelly Macdonald, a Scottish-born actress who plays Llewelyn's wife, Carla Jean. She doesn't really get to grips with her role until the end, simply because she doesn't appear all that much, but when she does, she gives a really emotional performance, which I thought was great. And the difference between her real Scottish accent and the Southern American twang she puts on in this film is amazing. Not that I am an expert in accents, but it sounded good to me.

Tommy Lee Jones is good as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, but then I've never seen him give a bad performance. My only issue is that he seems to play more or less the same role in every film I see him in and I'm getting a bit bored of it - I imagine he could have played this role with very little preparation. The actor himself admits in one of the documentaries in the extras that he was concerned about being typecast - however, he felt that the role was too good to turn down. Fair enough, but please, no more! Woody Harrelson appears as a man hired to get his hands on the money, and Chigurh, and reminded me just how good an actor he is. He seems to have disappeared into the background over the last few years (the cynical part of me wonders if it is because he's losing his hair - sadly, Hollywood is that superficial), but hopefully his career will take off again as a result of this film.

For anyone who wants a bit of light-hearted entertainment and/or a few laughs, this film is most certainly not for you! Right from the start, when we see Llewelyn, a hunter, take a shot at some poor deer, this film is pure violence and chase. There really is very little respite, and just as you think the killing must all be over, there's more. The whole atmosphere of the film is doom-ridden, and there is always the knowledge that things are unlikely to turn out well. Personally, I loved this - I like nothing better than to be reminded that my life is a doddle compared to some people's, even if I am comparing myself to fictional characters!

There is a lot of violence; Chigurh thinks nothing of shooting people for getting in his way, which means a great deal of blood. However, the shootings are nothing compared to one scene with Chigurh when he has to patch up a really terrible wound in his leg. He pulls what I presume are shotgun pellets out of his leg himself and tends the wound with disinfectant and pain-killing injections - watching him grimace as the blood pours out of the wound is truly uncomfortable viewing. I actually felt sick and had to look away - something that rarely happens to me any more with this genre. The special effects are very very good - it looks exactly as if he has a hole in his leg from a shotgun wound. Obviously, this will put a lot of people off, so you've been warned. I'm actually very suprised that it only has a 15 rating in the UK; certainly quite a few other countries have given it an 18.

Filmed in Texas and New Mexico, the Coen brothers have done a great job of making the film, outside of all the violence, look incredibly wild and beautiful (James Brolin calls it a survivalist landscape in one of the extras - that is a brilliant description). There is a great feeling of space, presumably as a result of the wide panoramic shots, which, perhaps strangely, adds to the feeling of hopelessness, because there seems to be no end of places that Llewelyn can run, but it all seems so lonely. On the subject of the Coen brothers, I have to commend them for this film. They have tried all sorts of genres, including comedy and rom com, but I think this type of film is exactly what they do well, and they have created a really beautiful, if ultimately rather depressing, film here. This is definitely one of their best productions as far as I am concerned.

I think the only criticism that I have of the film is that I found it hard to accept that Llewelyn could be such an idiot as to want to risk his life and that of his wife just for a suitcase of money. I can understand him wanting to take it in the first place, but once he realised someone else is after it, why didn't he just give in? However, as the film is apparently quite true to the book, this is obviously not the fault of the actors or the Coens. Some will find the ending a bit disappointing, simply because there are lots of ends left untied. Personally, I loved it, because it felt natural.

There are three special features with the disc that I have. The first is a twenty-five minute documentary on the making of the film, including appearances from all the main actors and the Coen brothers. I really enjoyed this - it was a fascinating insight into how the film was put together, especially from the point of view of the special effects. Then there is a documentary on working with the Coen brothers - the interesting part here was hearing Bardem's point of view as a Spanish actor. However, if you're hoping for some gossip, there doesn't appear to be any - everyone thinks they're marvellous! Finally, there is a brief feature on Tommy Lee Jones' character - I found this pointless, but if you're a fan, you may like it.

I really liked this film. It is brilliantly made and has some excellent performances. However, I can appreciate that it is not for everyone. If you want to watch a film that relaxes and uplifts you, this is probably not for you - there is no living happily ever after here. And the violence is not everyone's cup of tea either. Personally though, I thought it was great, certainly the best film I've seen in the last six months, and I have no hesitation in giving it five stars out of five.

The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99.

Classification: 15

Running time: 122 minutes

Summary: Great performances, beautiful visuals - I loved it