No Country for Warmth

With the Coen brothers' Oscar-winner, Fargo, they proved two things. First, they could do comedy really well, and second, they could do suspense equally well. Two years later, they brought us The Big Lebowski and turned their knack for nuanced and witty comedic dialog into a cult classic. And now, after ten years of waiting, we finally get to see what they can do with suspense.

No Country for Old Men is the story of three people: Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), who stumbles upon a pile of cash from a drug deal gone wrong. Moss then must run for his life from Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a relentless killer who can, at best, be described as criminally insane, and doesn't seem too bothered that he's being pursued by Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), the worn-out local sheriff.

Much like Fargo, this isn't a story where the main character learns and grows as a person. What very little we learn about the characters in the beginning is all we know as we follow them in their respective chases. Bell feels much like Fargo's Margie Gunderson, as his tired eyes are all that give us insight into his tortured inner self.

But even Bell doesn't keep No Country For Old Men from feeling emotionally empty. As is often said about Coen brothers' movies, but has never been so true as with this one, the film is cold and airless. But whereas I never agreed with this assessment of the Coens' earlier films, I don't mind on this one. It's strange, but it creates a certain atmosphere that feels all too appropriate.

The strength of the movie comes not from the quirks of the characters or from plot twists that are characteristic of other Coen brothers' movies. Instead, every element focuses on creating suspense. Contrasting with Fargo's bleak snowscape, we're confronted with vast southwestern deserts. The effect is equally chilling. Only this time, there's absolutely no trace of Minnesota nice.

No Country For Old Men may not warm you with its characters, but it will chill you with its suspense.