The Frame

Critics around the country have been lavishing praise on the Coen brothers‘ adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel for months now, and that praise is not undeserved. After churning out the undistinguished Intolerable Cruelty and Ladykillers, the Coens are back in form; No Country for Old Men is the perfect vehicle for their violent, macabre humor and stacks up well against Fargo and O Brother Where Art Thou. Llewellyn Moss, a Vietnam vet and cowboy holdover from an earlier era (a pitch-perfect Josh Brolin) finds a sackful of money left at the scene of a drug deal gone wrong and takes it, hoping to secure a better life for himself and his wife. Unfortunately for him, Anton Chigurh is also after the money. Chigurh is relentless, heartless, calculating, and creepy as all get-out, yet Javier Bardem also manages to keep him from being flat. If Bardem doesn’t get at least an Oscar nomination, something has gone even more wrong than usual down at the Academy. Tommy Lee Jones completes the cat-and-mouse triangle as the sheriff trying to track down Chigurh and protect Llewellyn. The film is unrelentingly dark, yet there are also many humorous moments, especially between Jones and his deputy–dark humor is a trademark of both the Coens and McCarthy. They’re really a perfect match for each other, and together they’ve created a beautifully made piece of cinema.
Superior