NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007) - Ethan and Joel Coen

It’s been a long time coming, but the Coen Brothers have finally found a return to the brilliant form the cinema audience had come to expect from them. After such brilliant films as Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Big Lebowski, the Coens seemed to hit a creative wall in the early 2000s after The Man Who Wasn’t There. Intolerable Cruelty and the remake of The Ladykillers saw the Coens produce films that, while not terrible, weren’t as good as the rest of their body of work. But with the release of No Country For Old Men, they have given us another outstanding film, and what some are calling the finest film they have made.

No Country For Old Men follows three men, who are on a path that will see their destinies cross. Firstly, we are introduced to Anton Chigurh, a ruthless and merciless bounty hunter. Within a few minutes of being introduced to this character, it is clear that he is not somebody to be trifled with. Even when in handcuffs, he is incredibly dangerous. He’s single-minded, and will kill pretty much anybody he encounters, with a few having a lucky escape thanks to the toss of a coin. Llewelyn Moss is a welder who, while hunting the plains of Texas, stumbles across a drug deal gone bad. Everyone involved with the deal is either dead or dying. Moss finds thousands of pounds of heroin and a case containing two million dollars, which he takes for himself. It’s a decision that leads him down a dangerous and potentially deadly path. And finally, we meet Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, the Texas sheriff who is hunting for the killer of a policeman, and who’s jurisdiction the failed drug deal has come under.



The film is adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel of the same name. The story deals with chance and predestination, with the paths of the three men being able to be traced back to one decision. Chigurh, mentions to one character how the coin and he have travelled a road that has led to that moment in time. He is the character who seems the most in tune with the idea of predestination. In one particularly chilling scene, he plays a game of chance with a gas station attendant, and it becomes clear from this not only that he is obsessed with chance, but also how cold blooded he can be.

It’s Javier Bardem’s performance as Anton Chigurh that really is the highlight of the film. Aside from his bizarre hairstyle, which only adds to the character, Chigurh’s almost expressionless face only ever cracks into a smirk when he’s about to do something particularly nasty. It’s a totally compelling performance, and in time will probably be viewed as one of cinema’s great villains. Tommy Lee Jones brings his dry wit to the role of Sherriff Ed Tom Bell. He’s the character who is most uncomfortable with how things just ‘ain’t how they used to be.’ He’s been around a long time, and is decidedly uncomfortable with how society and the landscape aren’t the same as when he first became a Sherriff. It’s a pretty comfortable role for Jones to play, but that’s not to take away from his excellent performance.



Josh Brolin plays Llewelyn Moss. Brolin’s career is going through somewhat of a resurgence in the last year with two excellent performances in this, and American Gangster. Contrasting his villainous role in American Gangster, in No Country For Old Men, he’s the hero of the piece. He’s a Vietnam veteran (the film is set in 1980) and life has had it’s affect on him. But the discovery of the money and the problems it brings, brings some life back to him, and he becomes quite an interesting character. Kelly Macdonald puts in a career-making performance as Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean. While it isn’t a huge role, Macdonald seems completely at home with the southern drawl and her performance should see a great many more roles being offered to her. Woody Harrelson also turns up in a great cameo as Carson Wells, a rival bounty hunter to Chigurh.

The cinematography in the film is stunning. Roger Deakins, who shoots his second western since the beautiful The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, once again captures the vast emptiness of the west. While there was an almost golden sheen to The Assassination... his cinematography in No Country For Old Men captures the starkness of the modern western and the emptiness of the desert perfectly.

I haven’t read McCarthy’s novel, but from what I’ve been reliably informed, the Coens have presented an almost perfect adaptation. The ending of the film, which divided some audiences remains in tact, and is not a comfortable ending. Nothing really seems to wrap up neatly, and this is one of the strengths of the film. It would be all too easy to end things with dramatic logic, but I would have felt somewhat cheated. This isn’t a conventional film, and it doesn’t really warrant a conventional ending. That isn’t to say it’s not satisfying. It totally makes sense in the context of the story.

Like I’ve said, it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a great Coen brothers film. But No Country For Old Men changes that. Is it their best film? It’s certainly arguable that it is. It’s not my favourite, that’s reserved for The Big Lebowski. But it’s certainly their most accomplished film. It leads this year’s Academy Awards with There Will Be Blood, both with eight nominations each. And with Bardem deservedly in contention for best supporting actor, it should prove for an interesting (if pointless, really) competition with Paul Thomas Anderson’s apparently amazing fifth film (something I’ve yet to see).


9/10

TRAINSPOTTING (1996) - Danny Boyle

Lord knows how long ago it was when I first saw Trainspotting. All I know is I had to sneak a look at it. I was fifteen when it was released, and I knew I'd be banned from seeing it by the parentals. So I'm pretty sure I saw it in one of the local kid's houses. All I know is it had an immediate impact on me, and stayed with me ever since. It's been a while since I watched the movie, so tonight I thought I'd revisit it to see if it still has the same impact as it once did.

For those of you who haven't seen it (and what the hell have you been doing with yourselves, if you haven't?!), Trainspotting is essentially the story of Mark Renton, a heroin junkie from Edinburgh in Scotland. Renton uses the drug to escape reality. A reality that sees him commit petty crimes in an attempt to feed his habit. He is surrounded by people he questionably calls friends, each with their own addiction, be it drugs or violence. Renton decides to kick his heroin habit, but finds this increasingly difficult as he cannot break the ties with his group of friends. No matter how far he tries to distance himself from them, they find a way back into his life and offer him nothing but ways to destroy himself.



Trainspotting is a difficult film to discuss without descending into cliche. Obviously, it's one of the most influential movies of the 1990's, and probably one of the most popular British films of all time. It made a star of Ewan McGregor (Renton), and launched the careers of director Danny Boyle, and actors Robert Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller and Ewan Bremner. What works about the film is that it approaches the difficult subject matter of heroin addiction in a manner that is honest, hard-hitting, yet it doesn't refrain from throwing in some wicked comedy.

Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting's iconic opening sets the pace for the rest of the film. Welsh and screenwriter John Hodge never compromise with their characters, who are the driving force of the film. Renton is clearly an intelligent guy. His problem is he's not strong enough to make a full break from his friends and the heroin. He says himself at the beginning of the film he's vowed to kick the junk many times, but cannot make the full commitment, no matter how good his intentions. His addiction to the heroin and his misguided loyalty to his friends are intertwined. One cannot exist without the other.



Trainspotting wouldn't be a success if Renton was the only interesting character in the film. It's to Welsh's credit that he creates fully fleshed out and compelling characters that surround Renton, each with their own conflicts, desires and behaviors. One of the most iconic of these characters is Francis Begbie, a psychopath who doesn't get off on doing junk, but on 'doing people.' He's different from the Travis Bickle or Norman Bates type of psycho, in that he's open in his love for violence, at one point starting a riot just for the pure sick thrill it gives him. Robert Carlyle's portrayal of Begbie is terrifying, but brilliantly realised.

Danny Boyle's direction is fantastic. The pacing of the film (which clocks in at 94 minutes) never lets up. Every frame of the film is fully realised and drives the story along. When it comes to the darker side of heroin, the film doesn't shy away from how dangerous and destructive the drug is. The scenes of Renton going cold turkey are a nightmare of hallucinations, with Renton writhing and screaming in his bed as horrific visions creep across his bedroom ceiling. While the film isn't as depressing as Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream, it in no way makes light of the subject of heroin addiction.
The film itself is packed with pop cultural references, from the obvious in Iggy Pop and James Bond, to more subtle references like The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night. Indeed, the soundtrack itself is as iconic as the movie itself, with songs by aforementioned Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed, Blur and Underworld amongst others, perfectly complimenting the film.

As I finished watching Trainspotting, I was in no doubt that the film is as relevent now as it was eleven years ago. In fact, it has improved with time, and I found myself appreciating the more subtle elements of the film such as pacing and editing and not just the hilarious dialogue and more superficial elements (not that they are in any way weaker elements of the film). What is undeniable is that Trainspotting is a brilliant, hard-hitting, and highly entertaining film. And one of the best films Britain has ever produced.


9/10