Last updated at 12:53, Thursday, 06 November 2008

RARELY have I seen a film as gripping as the Coen brothers’ No Country For Old Men.

Darkly humorous (very darkly in fact), a brooding plot, interesting characters and one of the best baddies in recent film history, No Country richly deserves the plethora of awards that came its way following its release last year.

We are introduced to the said baddie, Anton Chigurh, in the opening scene. In the sparse American West, he is arrested but quickly kills the police officer with his own handcuffs.

This brutal murder sets the tone for the rest of the film and quickly establishes Chigurh, played wonderfully by the previously unknown Javier Bardem, as an emotionless and experienced killer.

Cut to a local man, Llewellyn Moss, hunting in the desert. While looking for his kill, Moss comes across the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong; bodies strewn everywhere and a briefcase containing $2 million.

He steals the money and leaves the final survivor to die. However, his conscience later gets the better of him and, when he returns to the scene to help the dying man, he has to flee a group aiming to relieve him of his new-found wealth.

But when killer Chigurh is hired to track down the stolen money, the chase is taken to a new level and a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse plays out.

The film boasts a range of excellent performances, including Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson who have their own invested interests in the chase, and Josh Brolin as Moss, who perfectly captures the everyman who has come into some good fortune and will do anything to cling on to it.

But, for me, Javier Bardem’s killer makes the film. His robotic cold-blooded killer is deeply unsettling but mesmerising at the same time, making for one of the best films of the year.

First published at 12:51, Thursday, 06 November 2008
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk