No Country For Old Men

The verdict: Fargo's Texan cousin, featuring less comedy, and a very very bad man. I may be a self-confessed Coen-head, but this is a thoroughly entertaining movie of genuine quality.

The rating: 8/10

Looking at the cast and crew involved in 'No Country For Old Men', you'd be forgiven for wondering just how good this movie could be... First, the Coen Brothers. They've been going through what by their standards would be called a bit of a lean spell lately, but that's only because their first eight movies were modern classics. ('Big Lebowski' and 'Fargo' are PCMR's personal favourites.) If the Coen's played football, they'd be Brazilians in the 70's: self-assured, accomplished, and at the top of their game. In more recent years however, much like the Brazilians, the Coens have inexplicably been finding it difficult to replicate former glories... (Cue gravel-throated trailer voice - Ed) Until now, that is.

Josh Brolin has the lead, and blow me down if he hasn't had a great twelve months. As if 'American Gangster' wasn't a big enough movie to be in, he had to go and work with the Coens as well, the big show off. (And if that wasn't enough, Oliver Stone has recently signed him up to play George Bush!) This is a far more interesting part for Brolin than his American Gangster role however, and he does admirably well, playing as he does the regular John, a cowboy named Moss, who stumbles across two million dollars in the desert wilderness.

Next we have Javier Bardem, who plays the remorseless Anton Chigurh. Regular readers may or may not remember, but last year, PCMR sang the praises of Bardem for his performance in 'Before Night Falls', and I reckon he's a genuine star on the rise. This guy is a proper actor, and has been working for many a year in Spanish language productions. The quirky 'Live Flesh' and the brilliantly melancholy 'El Mar Adentro' are recommended Bardem performances, but in an inspired piece of casting, Bardem plays the very very bad man in this movie, and to chilling effect. Bardem spends almost the entire movie in pursuit of Moss and the two million dollars.

And then there's Tommy Lee Jones, who by is hitting a real professional peak at this late stage of his career, with this movie, and an Oscar nomination for 'In the Valley of Elah' to boot. With a face more wrinkled than a prune in a hot bath, he is the grizzled Southern sheriff, a man named Ed Tom, and he provides the narration - and soul - of the movie.

The movie is essentially a pursuit, with Jones' sheriff monitoring the chase from a safe distance. Chigurh (Bardem) sweeps slowly through the southern countryside like an virus, never in a rush, but remorselessly killing pretty much everyone he comes into contact with. Of real note is an inspired scene in a remote gas station, where Bardem makes faintly threatening small-talk with the owner. Afer a few moments, it becomes chillingly evident that the sub-text to the conversation is whether or not Chigurh should kill this man, and his answers may help him survive. Bardem is frightening.

For appearance's sake, Roger Deakins provides the colour and light, as he does on all the Coen Brothers movies, and he manages to work on two scales, creating some truly memorable moments on the wide dusty Southern plains, and ensuring the walls close in around the audience in the tautly crafter indoor scenes. The moments in the chase where Bardem and Brolin are in close proximity to each other are also perfectly staged and paced to heighten the tension.

As for sheriff Ed Tom, well, as his heartfelt narration of the opening sequence explains, he remembers a time when a sheriff didn't even need to carry a gun. The encroachment of Chigurh's violent crimes 'ain't just one thing', but are part of a 'rising tide', a wind of change that seems to be sweeping simple men like him aside. As an aging law man, he feels ill equipped to fight this type of bad guy, but will he eventually catch up with Chigurh? If so, can he win the fight against this bad bad man?

Bardem is fantastically evil, and should win the best supporting actor Oscar this year if there's any justice (which of course there isn't - Ed). Brolin is also very good as the honest cowboy, understandably taking a risk that might put him and his wife (Kelly MacDonald) in danger, but might also set them up for life. Jones is the heart and soul of the movie, but 'No Country For Old Men' is so densely packed with memorable moments, idiosyncratic turns of phrase, beautifully framed images, it is as immersive as a movie can get.

Some may baulk at the 140 minute running time, but not I. The relatively sudden ending had its critics in the cinema I attended, but I took this as a clear indication that a second viewing is in order. Like so much of the Coen's best work, this movie deserves it.

Before Night Falls

The verdict: a bittersweet, dream-like, impressionistic view of a tortured artist's life. Javier Bardem is excellent.
The rating: 7/10

Set against the backdrop of Revolution-era Cuba in the 1950's and 60's, 'Before Night Falls' is a biopic of Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas, documenting his tempestuous life from childhood in rural Cuba in the 1940's, through his career as a novelist in Communist Castro-controlled Cuba in the 1960's and 1970's. Arenas' early literary output attracted positive critical attention while he worked at the Biblioteca Nacional, where he entered various literary competitions. By the late 60's, his published novels and openly gay lifestyle were attracting the wrong sort of attention from the oppressive military forces, and he became known as something of an anti-establishment figure. Arenas was eventually imprisoned for publishing a novel abroad without the consent of the government, and for 'ideological deviation' from the cultural mores espoused by Castro's regime. This movie is the essentially the story of how Arenas survived all these experiences.

Javier Bardem plays the Cuban novelist, and if you are unfamiliar with the Spanish actor, PCMR arches an eyebrow suspiciously in your general direction. This Spanish actor is something of a force of nature, first coming to the attention of PCMR in 'The Sea Inside', an heavyweight performance of the highest order, albeit in a film that some may consider melodramatic. Given that he is a Spanish actor, and not short of talent, he has also turned up in an Almodovar or two, and PCMR also remembers a pretty excellent Bardem performance in 'Live Flesh', a quirky movie, even when measured against Almodovar's own off-beat standards. In 'Before Night Falls', Bardem again delivers an excellent performance, and literally becomes the character, to the point where the audience forgets the actor is performing. Bardem is also playing a character that requires a real physical transformation, as Arenas' demeanour is introverted and, well, quite gay.. but Bardem pulls it off. (Ahem.. I say! More tea, vicar? - Ed) These are just some of the hallmarks of a great performance in my book, and Bardem delivers on both counts.

For novelty value, Johnny Depp also turns up in this movie in a couple of excellent cameos, as too does Sean Penn, but to less effect. Depp play two characters, and his first appearance is gut-bustingly funny, but fans of Jack Sparrow may not want to watch. No spoilers here, but this 'part' has to be seen to be believed!

Revolution-era Cuba lends itself well to cinematic represenation, with its latin rhythms, cocktails, fat cigars, and heady atmosphere of sexual revolution providing ample material for the director with a good eye and sufficient talent. Julian Schnabel really captures the moment and the ambience of the era, combining the exhilaration of wild parties with the constant threat provided by the omnipresence of the oppressive military forces.

The style Schnabel adopts is a dream-like, impressionistic view of Arenas' life. There are numerous dream sequences, most often when Arenas is facing difficult moments, but there are many of these, as the guy did not have an easy life, by any means. His character is part Walter Mitty, part Oscar Wilde, and always interesting to watch.

I would recommend 'Before Night Falls', but be warned folks, it's a little 'arthouse'. There are no simple conclusions drawn, and the style adopted by the script leaves a lot to the imagination of the audience, but PCMR would argue that this is no bad thing. The movie is shocking in moments, but generally bittersweet in tone, and it will make you feel better about your own struggles. Relative to what Arenas went through, still coming out the other side with his literary legacy intact, you can't help but compare your problems to potatoes of the smaller variety. Bardem's performance is worth the ticket price alone, and Johnny Depp's cameos are worthy of more than a little novelty value. But above all, this is an impressionistic, dream-like account of a life worth hearing about.