Monday, December 03, 2007

Review: No Country for Old Men

I went to see the latest Coen Brothers film yesterday.

You may have heard of some of their previous films, among them Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Fargo, The Big Lebowski and O Brother Where Art Thou?

No Country for Old Men tells a straightforward, very violent and brutal story of murder, crime and greed. The cinematography is gorgeous, the dialogue is sophisticated and real, the acting first rate. This is a challenging, mostly quiet and somber film, which completely, willfully and unapologetically defies Hollywood conventional storytelling. The vast majority of people who see it probably won't get it. Brilliant filmmaking. If you're at all interested in film as an art form, you should see this movie.

Roger Ebert says, "Many of the scenes in "No Country for Old Men" are so flawlessly constructed that you want them to simply continue, and yet they create an emotional suction drawing you to the next scene. Another movie that made me feel that way was "Fargo." To make one such film is a miracle. Here is another."

He's right.

No comments: