Saw this last night at the NYFF. It was followed by a Q&A with the Coen brothers and most of the cast, which unfortunately, wasn’t as enlightening as it might have been, due to the fact that the Coens do not like to talk about their work (like Woody Allen, they prefer to let it speak for itself) and Tommy Lee Jones’ intolerance for dumb questions. Still fun to see them all together.
What am I supposed to say about this film, anyway? What do you think might happen if you took a source novel by a great American writer, had it adapted by the Coen brothers, who already have a film catalog to kill for and yet have outdone themselves here, and had it shot by one of the best cinematographers in the business? It sucks?
There is a sequence in the third act of Blood Simple, where M. Emmit Walsh is hunting John Getz through the walls of adjacent apartment rooms that is as suspenseful and nerve-wracking as anything the Coens have ever done.
No Country For Old Men manages to maintain that same level of tension for nearly two hours. It is only broken periodically, only briefly, by a supporting cast of bit characters who supply the same kind of folksy humor that we saw in Fargo. Not too much, nothing too overtly funny. Just enough to let you exhale.
There is not a lot of dialogue here, and virtually no exposition. Just set-up and go. This is the kind of film you can watch 4 times and still pick up on something you missed before.
I’m not going to say anything about the plot. Don’t read to much more about this film before next month. Stay away from reviews, which might unnecessarily spoil minor details. Just go see it.
What am I supposed to say about this film, anyway? What do you think might happen if you took a source novel by a great American writer, had it adapted by the Coen brothers, who already have a film catalog to kill for and yet have outdone themselves here, and had it shot by one of the best cinematographers in the business? It sucks?
There is a sequence in the third act of Blood Simple, where M. Emmit Walsh is hunting John Getz through the walls of adjacent apartment rooms that is as suspenseful and nerve-wracking as anything the Coens have ever done.
No Country For Old Men manages to maintain that same level of tension for nearly two hours. It is only broken periodically, only briefly, by a supporting cast of bit characters who supply the same kind of folksy humor that we saw in Fargo. Not too much, nothing too overtly funny. Just enough to let you exhale.
There is not a lot of dialogue here, and virtually no exposition. Just set-up and go. This is the kind of film you can watch 4 times and still pick up on something you missed before.
I’m not going to say anything about the plot. Don’t read to much more about this film before next month. Stay away from reviews, which might unnecessarily spoil minor details. Just go see it.
Comment