A hunter stumbles onto a cache of drug money and is pursued
​by a vicious killer looking to take back what belongs to him.

CRIME/DRAMA

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Written and Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones,
​Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson, Garret Dillahunt

Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy

Oscar Wins - Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay

Oscar Nominations - Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing,
​Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing

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Connor Eyzaguirre

August 8, 2019

9/10

No Country for Old Men is the film that finally won the Coens their directing Oscars, and rightfully so. This film is their dramatic masterpiece, a tense thriller from beginning to end that's loaded with some of their most interesting and layered characters. It's filmed beautifully, showcasing the gorgeous Texas landscape that has no equal. But perhaps best of all, No Country features one of the 20th century's most memorable villains, a true force of nature that rivals the Terminator in his tenacity. More on him in a bit.

This was the major comeback vehicle for Josh Brolin, who plays lucky/unlucky hunter Llewelyn Moss. Moss stumbles onto a drug deal gone wrong, and makes off with $2 million in cash. But when he returns to the scene out of compassion, he is made by Anton Chigurh, a psychotic killer hellbent on retrieving that money. Chigurh is played by Javier Bardem, who won an Oscar for his performance. He's one of the Coens' greatest villains and a terrifying monster who acts on sheer will, like an evil John Wick. Alongside them both is Tommy Lee Jones playing Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, a lawman close to retirement who is haunted by Chigurh's crimes and tries to save Moss. The cast is phenomenal and unforgettable.

No Country for Old Men deserved the Best Picture Oscar back in 2008, and the Coens deserved to win for writing and directing. This is one of their finest efforts, and with them, that's really saying something. This film is intense, cinematic, heartfelt, and at times, just plain scary. It's got it all, and it stands as one of the best films of the 2000's.