2007
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
With only four more movies to go, it is hard to keep my focus on the remaining titles. Still, I will do my best to give each film the attention it deserves. Just know internally I am freaking out (but what else is new?).
While hunting in West Texas, Llewelyn Moss stumbles across the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong. He finds one wounded man who is begging for water, several dead bodies, and two million dollars in a case. Moss takes the money, and surprisingly enough, his theft doesn't go unnoticed. He is pursued by Mexican drug dealers and Anton Chigurh, a hired sociopath with the world's dorkiest hair cut (and I thought I had secured that title when I got bangs in ninth grade). Sheriff Bell is hired to investigate, but he laments that he is too old for this shit. Well, I paraphrased.
I always gush over Coen Brothers films, and this entry will be no exception. This was a very exciting movie that featured one of the best movie villains in recent memory. Javier Bardem did such a good job of portraying someone who was truly soulless that I might be frightened to meet him in real life. The visuals were stunning and I thought the ending was absolutely brilliant.
This is going on my reading list. Soon I will have more free time...
RATING: *****
Interesting Facts:
Anton Chigurh's weapon, a captive bolt pistol, is commonly used to kill cows to minimize risk of flying bullets.
Body count of 22.
I reckon that...
ReplyDeleteAnton represents time itself. Steady, never stopping, never rushed, emotionless, never caring, cruel at times but never sadistic. On the flip of a coin, by the twist of fate, does he decide the fates of those he encounters.
Llewelyn is the man who thought he could outrun time, but no matter how fast he ran, whatever he tried, it caught up with him in the end like it always does.
The Sheriff has been around too long. Faced with the realisation that his best days are behind him and with just the slow downhill ride to death, he laments his past youth and that he still doesn't understand the world and the passing of time the rules it. It's no country for old men like him.
I couldn't figure out what the scene at the end about the kids on the bikes was supposed to symbolise though.
Have you read the book? Those are interesting theories. I didn't really ponder the kids part; I was too blown away by Anton checking his shoes. I thought that was a really cool way to end it.
DeleteI don't think I ever realised that there was a book
ReplyDeleteKelly MacDdonald says something profound like "But it's not the coin. It's you. You decide what you want to do, not the coin." I forget what my theory about what this meant was.
I felt like I was supposed to really like this film, I just remember being sad and bored.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that!
DeleteI don't understand why this was so highly praised. Yes it's very well made and acted but the plot seems like a slightly more down-to-earth version of The Terminator except that The Terminator wins in the end.
ReplyDeleteHaha that's a fair point. I really liked the Terminator though so maybe that's why I liked it.
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