No Country For Old Men

[poliphilo]

There are plenty of sites out there that discuss the ending so I'm going to leave it alone- except to say it plays cruel games with genre and the audience's expectations. Much as life itself does, which is rather the point. There's so much to say you could write a book- and I expect people have. Short of that you're reduced to talking about the craft of the thing- which is remarkable- but when the nature of reality is under discussion it seems a little flimsy to be talking about how beautiful the scenery is- or perhaps not. But that's what this movie does, it gets you in two minds- or maybe three or four- and they're all arguing with one another.  Javier Bardem took the acting Oscar- and quite right too- because he's fearsome- but there should also have been one for Tommy Lee Jones who injects warmth and laissez-faire wisdomin into a story which would otherwise have been as cold as hell. 

Comments

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

I have yet to see this one. Have you enjoyed the Coen brothers, more generally?

In my experience, when the nature of reality is in question, focusing on the scenery isn't such a bad way to cope.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

They're prolific- which means not everything can be expected to reach the highest standards, but I do like their work. Especially Fargo, The Great Lebowski, Brother Where Art Thou. I think No Country For Old Men is probably their masterpiece, meaning it goes further and deeper than anything else they've done- or- I should say- anything else of theirs that I've seen.

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of the novel from which the film was adapted. Its author, Cormac McCarthy, is probably my favorite living writer.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think I'll have to read him.

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

If you're interested, a good one to start with is All the Pretty Horses, which is my favorite. It's an unabashed Western, but the writing is extraordinarily lovely and elegiac.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll search it out.

I do love a good western.

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

You've named three of my favorites, so suppose I shall have to see No country for Old Men.