Film Talk: No Country for Old Men

Over a few beers yesterday, we found ourselves reminiscing about films of the recent past with a friend. As one might expect, Oscar predictions for ’09 came up, and then we reflected on past best picture wins, last year’s No Country for Old Men, in particular.

Adapted by Joel and Ethan Cohen from writing genius Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name; No Country for Old Men begins with Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) stumbling upon a drug deal gone wrong and $2 million abandoned dollars. Of course, $2 million dollars doesn’t go missing for long before someone is on its trail, and in this case, it’s cold-blooded, stoic killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem).

It’s a violent, bloody tale to be sure, but it’s also one of the best crime thrillers we’ve seen in our lifetime. There are moments on the screen that are so tense they’ll take your breath away (if you’ve seen it, you know the quarter scene) and I dare you to not feel spooked even the tiniest bit anytime you see Javier Bardem – bowl haircut or not – on a film or television screen.

The Pink Mixer isn’t the only one who really liked this movie. In fact, the Academy Awards adored the film - giving it a slew of awards last year, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adaptation, and Best Supporting Actor.

Watch it. Just be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat for the film’s entirety.