No Country for Old Men
"Tommy Lee Jones"-fans may be disappointed (due to his limited screen time), but hardcore violence fans will appreciate the Coen Bros. return to the kind of filmmaking on which they staked their early reputations!
3-1/2 stars (1st view) / 4 stars (2nd view)
[(2007)USA/Miramax/Rated R] - (2 hrs 2 min)
Written & Directed by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Source: Novel by Cormac McCarthy
Cast ... Lead characters:
Javier Bardem ... Anton Chigurh (the tracker)
Josh Brolin ... Llewelyn Moss (the prey)
Cast ... Supporting characters:
Tommy Lee Jones ... Ed Tom Bell (Local Sheriff)
Woody Harrelson ... Carson Wells (the 2nd tracker)
Kelly Macdonald ... Carla Jean Moss (Llewellyn's wife)
Review:
"What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss." -Anton
1st mini review: JAVIER BARDEM fans UNITE, one of the best villains of American cinema (and he's a Spaniard). For those unfamiliar with Bardem's work, be sure to check out the Oscar winning "The Sea Inside" to see just how just how good an actor this guy is!!!
2nd review (post-Oscar): Okay, I'm back after a 2nd viewing and Bardem's recent success at the Oscars (along with the Coens for directing & writing). What a coup, eh!
Think about it, the last feature by the Coens was the cruielly derided remake of "The Ladykillers" and Bardem was featured in his first Hollywood movie, the equally heinous "Love in the Time of Cholera" (released a week after "No Country for Old Men," but luckily it failed to ruin Bardem's bid for his first Oscar nom & WIN!).
Now look where they are, woo-hoo!!! And last, but not least, the whole gang won BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR!!!
This is definitely a movie made by young men for old geezers (like me) and the aging critical establishment responded in kind with rave reviews from day one. I was very impressed the first time I saw "No Country for Old Men," but this film really grows on you the second time through was a doozy, so I'm recommending you catch it again on the BIG SCREEN before it hits DVD shelves (too late).
The detail of the 'crime scenes' is matched by great looking day and night photography. 'Llewelyn' (Josh Brolin) stumbles on a major drug deal gone bad and takes the blood-stained money with him, only to find himself being tracked by an efficient, cold-blooded, killing machine named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem).
What makes this movie a pure Coen Bros. classic are isolated scenes where outsiders interact with the two main characters, especially the roadside store scene between Chigurh and the cashier/owner. The blend of comedy and suspense is brilliant as the audience waits with baited breath for the expected horrifying outcome.
The Coen Bros. show once and for all that they are masters of their craft, and remember, watch it at least twice to fully appreciate these geniuses at work!
[NOTE TO PARENTS: This film contains acts of violence (w/ accompanying gore & blood) that are not suitable for kids AT ALL as per the Coen bros. earlier films in the film noir/crime genres (Re: "Blood Simple," "Miller's Crossing"). Get a babysitter!]
MAIN crew:
Original Music by Carter Burwell
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Editor: Roderick Jaynes
More supporting cast ... Characters:
Garret Dillahunt ... Wendell
Tess Harper ... Loretta Bell (Ed's wife)
Barry Corbin ... Ellis (Ed's wheelchair-bound old friend)
Stephen Root ... Man who hires Wells (also hired the Mexicans & Anton)
Beth Grant ... Agnes (Carla Jean's Mom)
Kit Gwin ... Molly (Sheriff Bell's Secretary)
Additional cast (from IMDPRO.com):
Rodger Boyce ... El Paso Sheriff
Ana Reeder ... Poolside Woman
Zach Hopkins ... Strangled Deputy
Chip Love ... Man in Ford
Eduardo Antonio Garcia ... "Agua" Man
Gene Jones ... Gas Station Proprietor
Watch the Trailer
++++++++++++++++++++
No Country For Old Men(8 noms/4 WINS) Best Motion Picture of the Year- WINNER!!!
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Best Supporting Actor
Wow. Alright, this is very amazing. It's a great honor for me to have this. I want to& I have to speak fast here, man. Thank you to the Coens for being crazy enough to think that I could do that and put one of the most horrible haircuts in history over my head.
Thank you for really proving my work. I want to share this with the cast, with the great Tommy Lee Jones, with the great Josh Brolin, with the great Kelly MacDonald. And I want to dedicate this to my mother, and I have to say this in Spanish, and I'm sorry...
Mama esto es para ti. Esto es para tus abuelos, para tus padres, Rafael y Matilde. Esto es para los comicos de Espana que como tu han traido la dignidad y el orgullo a nuestro oficio. Esto es para Espana. Y esto es para todos vosotros.
Thank you very much!
-Javier Bardem
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Best Adapted screenplay
Thank you very much for this. Thank you, Scott Rudin for bringing us this novel and giving us the opportunity to make the movie. I think whatever success we've had in this area has been entirely attributable to how selective we are. We've only adapted Homer and Cormac McCarthy, so thank you.
-Joel Coen
We, uh... Thank you very much.
-Ethan Coen
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Best Director
I don't have a lot to add to what I said earlier. Thank you.
-Ethan Coen
Ethan and I have been making stories with movie cameras since we were kids. In the late '60s when Ethan was 11 or 12, he got a suit and a briefcase and we went to the Minneapolis International Airport with a Super 8 camera and made a movie about shuttle diplomacy called "Henry Kissinger, Man on the Go." And honestly, what we do now doesn't feel that much different from what we were doing then. There are too many people to thank for this. We're really thrilled to have received it, and we're very thankful to all of you out there for letting us continue to play in our corner of the sandbox, so thank you very much.
-Joel Coen
ACADEMY AWARDS HISTORY
Including his nominations this year for Directing and Adapted Screenplay for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, this is the sixth Academy Award nomination for Ethan Coen. He was previously nominated for:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Tommy Lee Jones"-fans may be disappointed (due to his limited screen time), but hardcore violence fans will appreciate the Coen Bros. return to the kind of filmmaking on which they staked their early reputations!
3-1/2 stars (1st view) / 4 stars (2nd view)
[(2007)USA/Miramax/Rated R] - (2 hrs 2 min)
Written & Directed by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Source: Novel by Cormac McCarthy
Cast ... Lead characters:
Javier Bardem ... Anton Chigurh (the tracker)
Josh Brolin ... Llewelyn Moss (the prey)
Cast ... Supporting characters:
Tommy Lee Jones ... Ed Tom Bell (Local Sheriff)
Woody Harrelson ... Carson Wells (the 2nd tracker)
Kelly Macdonald ... Carla Jean Moss (Llewellyn's wife)
Review:
"What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss." -Anton
1st mini review: JAVIER BARDEM fans UNITE, one of the best villains of American cinema (and he's a Spaniard). For those unfamiliar with Bardem's work, be sure to check out the Oscar winning "The Sea Inside" to see just how just how good an actor this guy is!!!
2nd review (post-Oscar): Okay, I'm back after a 2nd viewing and Bardem's recent success at the Oscars (along with the Coens for directing & writing). What a coup, eh!
Think about it, the last feature by the Coens was the cruielly derided remake of "The Ladykillers" and Bardem was featured in his first Hollywood movie, the equally heinous "Love in the Time of Cholera" (released a week after "No Country for Old Men," but luckily it failed to ruin Bardem's bid for his first Oscar nom & WIN!).
Now look where they are, woo-hoo!!! And last, but not least, the whole gang won BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR!!!
This is definitely a movie made by young men for old geezers (like me) and the aging critical establishment responded in kind with rave reviews from day one. I was very impressed the first time I saw "No Country for Old Men," but this film really grows on you the second time through was a doozy, so I'm recommending you catch it again on the BIG SCREEN before it hits DVD shelves (too late).
The detail of the 'crime scenes' is matched by great looking day and night photography. 'Llewelyn' (Josh Brolin) stumbles on a major drug deal gone bad and takes the blood-stained money with him, only to find himself being tracked by an efficient, cold-blooded, killing machine named Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem).
What makes this movie a pure Coen Bros. classic are isolated scenes where outsiders interact with the two main characters, especially the roadside store scene between Chigurh and the cashier/owner. The blend of comedy and suspense is brilliant as the audience waits with baited breath for the expected horrifying outcome.
The Coen Bros. show once and for all that they are masters of their craft, and remember, watch it at least twice to fully appreciate these geniuses at work!
[NOTE TO PARENTS: This film contains acts of violence (w/ accompanying gore & blood) that are not suitable for kids AT ALL as per the Coen bros. earlier films in the film noir/crime genres (Re: "Blood Simple," "Miller's Crossing"). Get a babysitter!]
MAIN crew:
Original Music by Carter Burwell
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Editor: Roderick Jaynes
More supporting cast ... Characters:
Garret Dillahunt ... Wendell
Tess Harper ... Loretta Bell (Ed's wife)
Barry Corbin ... Ellis (Ed's wheelchair-bound old friend)
Stephen Root ... Man who hires Wells (also hired the Mexicans & Anton)
Beth Grant ... Agnes (Carla Jean's Mom)
Kit Gwin ... Molly (Sheriff Bell's Secretary)
Additional cast (from IMDPRO.com):
Rodger Boyce ... El Paso Sheriff
Ana Reeder ... Poolside Woman
Zach Hopkins ... Strangled Deputy
Chip Love ... Man in Ford
Eduardo Antonio Garcia ... "Agua" Man
Gene Jones ... Gas Station Proprietor
Watch the Trailer
++++++++++++++++++++
No Country For Old Men(8 noms/4 WINS) Best Motion Picture of the Year- WINNER!!!
- Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - WINNER!!!
- Adapted Screenplay- WINNER!!!
- Achievement in Directing - WINNER!!!
- Achievement in Film Editing
- Achievement in Cinematography
- Achievement in Sound Editing
- Achievement in Sound Mixing
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Best Supporting Actor
Wow. Alright, this is very amazing. It's a great honor for me to have this. I want to& I have to speak fast here, man. Thank you to the Coens for being crazy enough to think that I could do that and put one of the most horrible haircuts in history over my head.
Thank you for really proving my work. I want to share this with the cast, with the great Tommy Lee Jones, with the great Josh Brolin, with the great Kelly MacDonald. And I want to dedicate this to my mother, and I have to say this in Spanish, and I'm sorry...
Mama esto es para ti. Esto es para tus abuelos, para tus padres, Rafael y Matilde. Esto es para los comicos de Espana que como tu han traido la dignidad y el orgullo a nuestro oficio. Esto es para Espana. Y esto es para todos vosotros.
Thank you very much!
-Javier Bardem
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Best Adapted screenplay
Thank you very much for this. Thank you, Scott Rudin for bringing us this novel and giving us the opportunity to make the movie. I think whatever success we've had in this area has been entirely attributable to how selective we are. We've only adapted Homer and Cormac McCarthy, so thank you.
-Joel Coen
We, uh... Thank you very much.
-Ethan Coen
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Best Director
I don't have a lot to add to what I said earlier. Thank you.
-Ethan Coen
Ethan and I have been making stories with movie cameras since we were kids. In the late '60s when Ethan was 11 or 12, he got a suit and a briefcase and we went to the Minneapolis International Airport with a Super 8 camera and made a movie about shuttle diplomacy called "Henry Kissinger, Man on the Go." And honestly, what we do now doesn't feel that much different from what we were doing then. There are too many people to thank for this. We're really thrilled to have received it, and we're very thankful to all of you out there for letting us continue to play in our corner of the sandbox, so thank you very much.
-Joel Coen
ACADEMY AWARDS HISTORY
Including his nominations this year for Directing and Adapted Screenplay for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, this is the sixth Academy Award nomination for Ethan Coen. He was previously nominated for:
- O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000) -- Nominee, Writing (Adapted)
- FARGO (1996) -- Nominee, Best Picture
- FARGO (1996) -- Winner, Writing (Original)
- O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000) -- Nominee, Writing (Adapted)
- FARGO (1996) -- Nominee, Directing
- FARGO (1996) -- Winner, Writing (Original)
- FARGO (1996) -- Nominee, Film Editing
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++