Truly there is no country for old men
I decided last night to go see "No Country For Old Men," seeing as how it was about to be in a double feature with "There Will Be Blood" (which I don't care to see right now). So, 9:35pm showing...and it was so worth it.
Admittedly, I'm a big Coen Bros. fan. I love their work--"The Big Lebowski" is in permanent residence in my DVD collection, and "Fargo" is about to join it. I love how they can work the dark side of humanity into a central question of society: what is justice? At least, I feel that's their signature message. And they keep bringing different angles to that question.
"No Country For Old Men" is another one in that vein. This time, the question is not only "What is justice?" but it also questions who's version of justice is the 'correct' one. Javier Bardem deserves most every award that he receives for his acting; I'm a huge fan of his. He takes the role of ultimate cerebral antagonist to a level not seen often; perhaps Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter is the only other one, or the one that comes to mind. It's very dark, perhaps darker than "Fargo," but it still riveting. The movie lasted about 2 hours, and I really didn't feel like I spent 2 hours in the theater. And Tommy Lee Jones...well, he's just good, but he's starting to play 'himself'...much like Jack Nicholson does. The other actors did a fine job, but it's truly amazing to watch Jones and Bardem. Sadly, they never share any scenes...oh how I'd love to see that!
(By-the-by, if you're interested in another thought-provoking movie, watch "Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside)"--questions who gets to decide life or death. And again Javier Bardem is magnificent.)
So...it's a great movie, and one that many will enjoy.
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