The best picture of the year is sadly not the best picture I saw in 2007.  Once and Into the Wild are my best picture candidates, however, since the Oscars are now complete, I would say Atonement or There Will Be Blood may have been better, but No Country for Old Men is worth a look.

Tommy Lee Jones is great as the tired police chief even if he is being typecast.  Javier Bardem is great as the killer although I would put many villains ahead of him, especially Kevin Spacey in Seven or The Usual Suspects.  Critics said they felt scared of Bardem’s character, whereas I did not.  He wasn’t chilling, just heartless.  Josh Brolin plays the fool who lets his curiosity get the best of him and gets involved in something much bigger than he is capable of.  He is very believable in his role.

The Coen brothers do an excellent job creating this film.  The picturesque scenes present a dark mood in the old west.  Their continual use of dark lighting casts an ominous feeling throughout the whole movie making the viewer sit on the edge of their seat waiting for the next kill to happen at any moment.  The Coen brothers use great restraint in not exploiting Bardem’s character.  They could have shocked us and scared us, but instead chose to make the mood of the movie what carries the story.  That was a great decision.

There is no soundtrack really, and I wonder if that would have assisted the movie.  They went with less is more, but I think a soundtrack would have possibly made the movie feel even more ominous like there is no help for anyone. (SPOILER ALERT) I always thought that Bardem’s character would be caught, and the use of a soundtrack may have brought that point home allowing the viewer to guess more rather than just accept the consequences to each character.  It made me wanting more and not feeling fully appreciative of the filmmakers efforts.

Lastly, the ending … what a mess, trying to make a point of using the title of the movie somehow.  It is too open ended and does not drive its point home.  It’s as if this reviewer had something more to say, but it was just a boring day to watch a movie.

Similar recommended titles: Fargo, The Usual Suspects and Seven