I hesitated to see this. I think the Coen Brothers' movies are brilliant, but they are also so violent that I have to really get my brain ready to see one of their movies. And it was very worth the effort. These two just know how to make the total package: the scenery and look of the movie, the music, the story and the acting all fit together so beautifully. The plot for this one is simple and has been done so many times. You find a bunch of money, you decide to keep it, you think you can outsmart the rightful (?) owner. But Cormac McCarthy (the original author of the book) and the Coens (who wrote the screenplay) come through, making it all seem new and current.
Javier Bardem is just chilling. It makes you wonder if he had to spend a month at Disney World decompressing and feeling jolly again after he got finished with this role. But my two favorite performances are Tommy Lee Jones as the world weary sheriff trying to get to the good but greedy guy (Josh Brolin) before the bad guy gets to him, and Kelly MacDonald as the wife of the good but greedy guy. She is from Scotland and somehow masters the West Texas, trailer park-living, halfway given up on life drawl down to a tee.
The Coens' movies spoil you and turn you into a movie snob. You will find yourself thinking about the movie for weeks, maybe even months. My favorite Coen Bros. movie (and one of my favorites of all time) is still Miller's Crossing, about Irish and Italian Gang warfare in Prohibition Chicago. O Brother Where Art Thou, their deep South, bluegrass-ridden take on Homer's The Odyssey comes in a close second. I'll put No Country as a close third. Then the very wonderfully goofy The Big Lebowski, with Jeff Bridges as a stoner/bowler involved in a case of mistaken identity. Then Fargo - which is actually alot like No Country (but with snow) with it's sparse landscape, undertones of humor and extreme violence. Genius, genius, genius, genius and genius. I am so glad these guys are finally receiving their just rewards.
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