No Country For Old Men (2007) is a perfect film to rewatch in 2023. This thriller by the Coen brothers might blow your mind, quite literally. No wonder, it won the Oscar Award too.
This 2007 film is based on the 2005 novel of the same name “No Country For Old Men” by American author Cormac McCarthy, His violent tale delves into an illegal drug deal that has gone wrong in the 1980s period. And, this story takes place in the Texas desert backcountry located near the Mexico–United States border area. Mind you, this crime drama is not for the weak-hearted. So, that is our word of caution to all the viewers.
Synopsis of the No Country For Old Men (2007) Movie
While out hunting, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds the grisly aftermath of a drug deal. Though he knows better, he cannot resist the cash left behind and takes it with him. The hunter becomes hunted when a merciless killer named Chigurh (Javier Bardem) picks up his trail. Also looking for Moss is Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), an ageing lawman who reflects on a changing world and a dark secret of his own, as he tries to find and protect Moss.
No Country For Old Men (2007) movie:- ratings
| FM’s rating | 4.50/5 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 93% Tomatometer & 86% Audience Score |
| Critics Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes | Bolstered by powerful lead performances from Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men finds the Coen brothers spinning cinematic gold out of Cormac McCarthy’s grim, darkly funny novel. |
Spoilers Free Review of the No Country For Old Men (2007) Movie
The introduction
After a hunter stumbles upon dead bodies scattered all around in a remote place near the Rio Grande with more than two million dollars in cash lying around without any claimant in sight. He decides to take the blood money of a drug deal gone wrong; soon after the mayhem starts as the out-of-control Anton Chigurh searches for the missing cash.
We were unaware of any spoilers while watching this, therefore, we were shocked by the brutal violence and the unadulterated anarchy associated with it.
It is a dark movie
This dark crime film explores the anxiety, fear, death, and the menacing side of human nature – in a stylish manner. In other words, this movie is like a classic cat versus mouse hunting game, wherein the cat hunts for one mouse at a time to kill. And then moves on to stalk and kill the next mouse on the line.
The “Anti-Hero” leads the way
No Country For Old Men – it is one of those movies, in which we talk more about the “Villain”/”Anti-Hero” (Gabbar Singh) rather than the “Heroes”. We have shared his video clip and bonus information about Anton in this article below. So that you can check the way the writer, director and actor created this deadly and violent anti-hero in the film.
Javier Bardem lead the set of amazing actors
So, in a way, it is a chilling tale about the deadly villain Anton Chigurh (excellently played by Javier Bardem) for people with hearts. The cold-blooded violent mannerism of the antagonist Anton sent shivers down our spines even on a hot day in my country. We loved the way this character was played superbly by the Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Other actors like – Josh Brolin, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly Macdonald, etc, played an excellent part in this epic anti-hero film.
The conclusion
No Country For Old Men is an excellent thriller movie. If you have not watched it, then go, watch it for the Coen brothers and Javier Bardem. We think it is a must-watch movie, not only for old men but the adult populace of all kinds. So, go ahead and watch it and relish the menace of the professional hitman Anton.
Spoilers Alert – bonus info. & video about Anton Chigurh’s character
This movie gave us one of the scariest anti-heroes in Hollywood movie history: Anton Chigurh. And this memorable antagonist is perfectly played by Javier Bardem.
A YouTube video clip of the coin toss scene from the said film
The coin toss scene in the film
Anton Chigurh says that the coin he flips in the gas station was dated 1958 so “it’s been travelling 22 years to get here”.
In the subsequent scenes, Chigurh flips a coin to determine whether or not he will kill someone.
Perhaps, this movie has used coin toss as a visual metaphor for a yin and a yang situation.
Also, maybe it depicts the duality of these characters as mere mortal humans.
Information and a quote about the character Anton Chigurh
One of the weirdest features of Anton Chigurh was his unique hairstyle. The Coen brothers used a 1979 photo of a brothel patron for Chigurh’s hairstyle.
When Javier Bardem first saw his new haircut, he said, “Oh no, now I won’t get laid for the next two months.”
Reportedly, the Coen brothers responded by happily high-fiving each other. Because Bardem’s reaction meant Chigurh would look as creepy as the brothers had hoped.
I had to live with that! It wasn’t a wig. It was my hair! It’s bad. It’s really bad. You go to the market to buy your milk and people get weird, like really scared…It’s the worst haircut I’ve ever had…They (Coen brother) owe me another movie.
Jarvier Bardem | Vulture (2007)
A few years later, Javier Bardem joked that he has the worst haircuts in his two best well-known films. These are No Country For Old Men (2007) and Skyfall (2017) films.
A few more bonus information about the iconic character Anton Chigurh
More info. about Anton Chigurh’s character
- Chigurh’s name is similar to ‘sugar’; but it must be noted that it is anything but sweet. He’s one of the most vicious and toxic characters in Hollywood film history. Chigurh kills or tries to kill almost every person to whom he speaks during the film. So, in this movie, Chigurh’s kill score is either 13 or 14. It depends on whether or not the accountant is presumed dead or alive by the viewers. The weapon of choice for Chigurh is a captive bolt pistol. It is commonly used to stun cows before slaughter without the risk of flying bullets. In this film, to get the eerie sound effect of Chigurh’s cattle gun. They have used the sound of a nail gun in the film.
- When the Coen brothers offered the villainous role of Anton Chigurh to Javier Bardem, he told them, “I don’t drive, I speak bad English (he is a Spanish actor born in Las Palmas, Spain) and I hate violence.” The Coen brothers answered, “That’s why we called you.” Javier Bardem said he took the bad-guy role because his dream was to work in the Coen Brothers film.
Anton Chigurh is one of the top villains/anti-hero
- As per the article in Business Insider (January 2018), to diagnose the top psychopath, a group of psychiatrists led by Dr. Samuel Leistedt spent years watching over 400 films and identified 126 psychopathic characters. Then these psychiatrists chose Javier Bardem’s portrayal of Anton Chigurh as the most clinically accurate portrayal of a psychopath. Undoubtedly, the character Anton Chigurh was voted the most realistic psychopath in cinema history by a team of forensic psychiatrists.
Anton Chigurh is a merciless killer who feels absolutely no remorse for blowing his victims apart with a shotgun. He’s very determined, has no empathy for his victims, and is incapable of emotions like love or shame.
Dr Samuel Leistedt | Business Insider (2018)
Focus:- bonus info. about No Country For Old Men (2007) Movie
No Country For Old Men (2007) movie was the second Best Picture Academy Award winner to be produced, directed, written and edited by the same person (two people: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen). The first movie was Titanic (1997) by James Cameron. Also, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen became the first and second persons to be nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Film Editing in the same year (2008) for this film.
| Awards Names | Names of the Awards Winners |
|---|---|
| Academy Awards, USA – 2008 | Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – Winner Oscar – Best Motion Picture of the Year Joel Coen, Ethan Coen – Winner Oscar – Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – Winner Oscar – Best Achievement in Directing Javier Bardem – Winner Oscar – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role |
| BAFTA Awards – 2008 | Joel Coen, Ethan Coen – Winner – David Lean Award for Direction – Best Director Javier Bardem – Winner BAFTA Film Award – Best Supporting Actor Roger Deakins – Winner BAFTA Film Award – Best Cinematography |
| Golden Globes, USA – 2008 | Javier Bardem – Winner – Golden Globe – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Joel Coen, Ethan Coen – Winner – Golden Globe – Best Screenplay – Motion Picture |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards – 2008 | Javier Bardem – Winner Actor – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly Macdonald – Winner Actor – Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| Critics Choice Awards – 2008 | Winner Critics Choice Award – Best Picture Javier Bardem – Winner Critics Choice Award – Best Supporting Actor Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – Winner Critics Choice Award – Best Director |
For his role as Anton Chigurh in this film, Javier Bardem won Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Awards in 2008; thus he became the first Spanish actor to win these four major awards. Actually, his win at the 80th Academy Awards made him the first Spanish actor to triumph at Oscar. He was also the first Spanish actor to be nominated for an Oscar with Before Night Falls in 2000.
Poster of the No Country For Old Men (2007) Movie
Key Details about the No Country For Old Men (2007) Movie
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller |
| Age-Restrictions | A (18+) |
| Released | November 2007 |
| Duration | 2 hours 2 minutes |
| Writers | Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Cormac McCarthy |
| Directors | Joel Coen, Ethan Coen |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Cast | Tommy Lee Jones (Ed Tom Bell), Javier Bardem (Anton Chigurh), Josh Brolin (Llewelyn Moss), Woody Harrelson (Carson Wells), Kelly Macdonald (Carla Jean Moss), Garret Dillahunt (Wendell), Tess Harper (Loretta Bell), Barry Corbin (Ellis), etc. |
| Taglines | There Are No Clean Getaways |
Trailer of the No Country For Old Men (2007) Movie
If you like watching award-winning movies like No Country For Old Men, then check out the recent Oscar-winning film – All Quiet On The Western Front, too.
Featured & Other Images: No Country For Old Men | Youtube.