No Country for Old Men is Brillant, but Hard to Admire

As Newsweek wrote, No Country for Old Men is a movie that is "better to be admired than liked." I wholeheartedly agree. What makes this movie great, is its honesty in regards to violence and lonely silence, which takes up most the movies time. It is most definitely a violent movie, as well as an instant classic. Its Best Picture Oscar is most assuredly deserved, as is all the criticism it has received.

The story, much as it is, revolves around three men, one of which has taken 2 million dollars from a desert drug bust that has gone wrong. This man, Llewlyn, is chased by two other men. Tommy Lee Jones plays the town sheriff, while Javier Bardim plays a stone-cold killer—"the devil incarnate" as Roger Ebert writes. This trinity of actors define the movie, despite the three actors never being in one scene together. In fact, none of the actors are in any of the scenes together, which is what makes this movie all the more amazing. It is the silence that drives these men.

Llewlyn, played by Josh Brolin, is a Texan by birth, and plays one too. He is a man that has served in Vietnam and has recently married and retired. He is easily a symbol for the way things have always been in Texas, as he is never seen without his rifle or shotgun. His beat up truck and ripped jeans are further evidence of his masculinity, as well as the way things used to be in Texas. He has the tools to survive in Texas and its harsh environment precisely because he understands the land and its traditions.

Enter Javier Bardam and his bad haircut and evil demeanor. This man, as evidenced by the first scene, is not from Texas, nor does he know the ways in which things are done. His gigantic shot gun is evidence of this, as it is completely out of place in Texas. However, none of this matters, as he can adapt and kill with ever increasing brutality. Bardam says little, but reveals a lot in his expressions—a truly magnificent acting portrayal. He represents not only evil, but fate as well. He believes in it and relishes it, as evidenced by his conversation with the local grocery clerk, and Woody Harrleson: "That's your lucky coin. It's traveled for 22 years to save your life."

Tommy Lee Jones is the Texas sheriff that must track down these two men, trying against all odds to save one, or capture the other. However, as Jones tells us, he can't understand the world anymore, although he does believe it has fallen in part due to lack of manners. Jones is very much like Llewlyn in his manners and "old ways." Much has been discussed as to what or who Jones seems to represent or symbolize in this movie. However, I believe that he represents an old Greek chorus. He reminds us of, or tells us what our conscience should be as moviegoers. He opens and closes the movie with both sadness and despair, which can best be summed up in the old DC Talk song: "What have we become?"

This movie shows what can become of a society if it is not careful with itself. If we ignore manners, we will steal, kill and destroy, all for money. If we ignore the evil that is coming towards us, pretending it cannot destroy even the smallest and most content of communities, we will be destroyed by the very evil we tried to ignore. Tommy Lee Jones sums this premise up with his final statements, which have confused many moviegoers. He says that "I just can't understand it." Jones, who is a law man, cannot understand where our society is headed, both in crime as well as "normal" societal functions. Kids ignore their parents, do what they want and lack manners, while evil continues to kill, just because it can. I can't blame Jones for feeling this way, although it does fulfill Newsweeks claims that the "movie is better to be admired than liked." Every detail and movie technique is flawless in this movie, creating the epitome of "tour de force."

Student Critic