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Topic: No Country for Old Men (2007)

Stu Jamieson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 524
From: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 03-12-2008 04:26 AM

quote: Joe Redifer
I used to blow out flakes from print shedding from my Christie projectors with a similar compressed air tank. Either the Christies are built like tanks, or the effect of a compressed air tank is ever-so-slightly slightly exaggerated.

No, that device is legit. It's not just firing out compressed air, the compressed air actually drives a piston which is mounted in the handpiece. It's normally used for knocking livestock on the head in an abattoir so it would certainly be effective on humans. Not sure if it's feasible to knock the barrel out of a door lock though; that seems a bit far fetched.

SPOILERS.

I may as well raise my hand right up front and confess that I didn't like the ending. I get the whole "evil triumphs over good" thing and how Bell laments his perceived weariness and helplessness in defeating an evermore insidious evil and is ultimately compelled to lay down his guns and give up the good fight. I just don't think it was a point well made. It's like the film is missing the full stop on the final sentence. There isn't even a "............" at the end. The film just trundles to an aimless halt mid-senten

I think the problem is that the film IS about Chigurh and Moss regardless of whether the Coens intended that or not, and I don't think it works to just turn the film on it's head at the end and proclaim that the focus was actually Bell. I have no problem with them doing that per se, but I don't think they pulled it off. To me it felt like the movie finished when Moss was killed (because that was the story) and I had trouble getting a bead on where the story was going after that. In the end it just petered out.

Having said that, everything which precedes the films coda is a marvelous piece of cinematic eloquence (though in the beginning I thought they should have called this The Dead Dog Movie as there's more canine casualties here than on the Milo And Otis shoot ). The service station sequence is brilliant in its understated menace and this is due to Bardem's chilling performance from an excellent script. His ridiculous hairdo merely underlines his formidability - who's tough enough to tell him he looks silly? And his hulking silenced shottie is way cool. Tommy Lee Jones feels like he's channeling Michael Parks which is no bad thing and Brolin is good also. And it's always great to see Kelly Macdonald though her accent completely threw me until I saw her name in the credits.

Despite my misgivings with the ending, this is still worth.....

8 out of 10

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-12-2008 12:23 PM

Since No Country for Old Men is now out on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, is it more appropriate to have a different review thread started in the Afterlife forum, or just keep adding to this thread?

quote: Stu Jamieson
No, that device is legit. It's not just firing out compressed air, the compressed air actually drives a piston which is mounted in the handpiece.

Anton Chigurh's weapon is designed for slaughtering cattle. But it fires more than just compressed air. The air tank fires a steel bolt forward into the brain the animal. Then the bolt retracts.

The suppressor on the shotgun was an interesting touch, although the "can" on the end of the barrel didn't look much like ones that you can actually buy and install (after making some serious modifications to a shotgun).

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 03-12-2008 04:56 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
Since No Country for Old Men is now out on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, is it more appropriate to have a different review thread started in the Afterlife forum, or just keep adding to this thread?

Adding to this thread is best, unless the DVD and Blu-ray is some kind of straight-to-video sequel. Since this forum is the movie review forum, all reviews should go here even if it were a discussion about Pocahontas 2 or similar.

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Chad Souder
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 962
From: Waterloo, IA, USA
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 03-12-2008 07:34 PM

quote: John Walsh
MINOR SPOILER...

OK, got a question though... how did Woody Harrelson know where Josh was?

In the book, Wells (Harrelson) took the transmitter from Moss and left it in his hotel room. Chigurh was just driving down the street and the receiver started beeping. He goes to the hotel, gets his own room, falls asleep wondering why it would be in that hotel, and wakes realizing it must be Wells.

I was a little disappointed the Coen's left that out. I was wondering the same thing until I read what ended up being a VERY poorly written book. The idea was great, but that author, Cormac McCarthy, sucks big time.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 03-13-2008 11:35 PM

I have decided that this movie is like a giant snooze alarm which lasts for two hours. The violent and entertaining scenes wake you up, but then a Tommy Lee Jones scene comes and puts you to sleep again. Then another scene which is entertaining to wake you up and back and forth and back and forth.

This is the perfect analogy of that movie.

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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 03-18-2008 09:26 AM

Joe has hit the nail on the head (or the compressed air driven bolt). This had to be one of the most boring movies I've ever seen.

**********SPOILERS AHEAD********************
A few things that I couldn't overlook. #1, the motel where Moss hid the satchel in the A/C duct had an under window A/C unit clearly visible in the exterior shots therefore there wouldn't be ductwork. #2, the homing transmitter was WAY too accurate when Javier basically narrowed down the room (when the transmitter was inside metal ducts) by driving around the parking lot. #3, How did any of them find Moss in Mexico?
*************END SPOILER***************

1 star out of 5 and it only gets that for the violence.

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Kyle Anderson
Film Handler

Posts: 86
From: Tyler, TX, USA
Registered: Dec 2005

posted 03-18-2008 04:34 PM

Sortof spoiler, reply to a spoiler

The satchel was in the heating vent (note the vent was on the floor), or else an intake for either central heating or just a forced air ventilation system in general (no AC).

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Phil Blake
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 558
From: esperance western australia
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 04-14-2008 05:45 AM

I just got to watch this last night , the award winner best picture of the year etc etc , and well I am with Joe on this one , well acted and well cast but the story was very ordinary indeed.

Started out intriguing and began to build then it seemed to go nowhere ending up with tommy's breakfast , so much left unexplained looked as it we had a reel missing .

I am still puzzled as to who how and why.

Into the Wild should have got the oscar.

2 out of 5 from me

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 03-02-2009 09:26 PM

*FINALLY* saw this film...ANOTHER excellent film from the VERY talented Coen Brothers! Excellent casting, directing, and cinematography!

5 outta 5 stars.

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