This'll do till the mess gets here.

Sometimes words get thrown around about certain movies--words like masterpiece and flawless. With No Country for Old Men, however, these are not mere words.

Of course the Coen Brothers are geniuses who are responsible for many of my favorite films, and the novel by Cormac McCarthy is an amazing and powerful work, so I had high hopes going in. High hopes can lead to disappointment. Not in this case though.

The perfect cast features a career-best performance by Josh Brolin, but though he has probably the biggest role, two other actors elevate No Country for Old Men to new heights. First, Tommy Lee Jones has also never been better, and a mere smirk or a smart-ass comment from his sheriff character reveals layers of depth and brilliance. But the show-stealer is Javier Bardem, who plays one of the most evil and heartless, yet charismatic, killers ever to grace the screen.

But though the acting is perfect, the masterful direction by the Coen Brothers makes this a transcendent work of art. It is a testament to their knack for suspense that I was gripping my armrests, even though I had read the novel and knew what was coming. Several scenes left me completely breathless in anticipation. The Coens have never shied away from ultra-violence, and several scenes here might reach the pinnacle of ultra-violence, but even these are directed with skill and finesse. In addition, because they are the Coen Brothers, they have upped the quirky factor a bit from the novel, giving this most vicious of tales the elements of the darkest, darkest humor. This is one of their best films.


But as I said, No Country for Old Men is a transcendent film, which is of course another film review cliché, but sometimes the praise fits. This is no mere good guy/bad guy chase movie. This is a philosophical rumination and a lamentation of the future and many more things which I will be thinking about for weeks to come.

No film will be better this year.