My favourite film II

My favorite film: discussion II

No Country for Old Men

SPOILERS: 

Javier Bardem playing a psychopathic killer always ends up looking fantastic. With 'No Country for Old Men', the Coen brothers turned a great novel into a great film. 

I think one of my favourite things about this film is the minimalist theme that went throughout. I thought that the lack of a conventional soundtrack, the unnoticeable editing, the quiet and considered main characters, the realism of the mise en scene, the generally simplistic tone - all added to making the film seem that much more realistic and intense. Many long sections of the movie went devoid of music - the film only contains 16 minutes of music! The deafening silence just intensifies the conversations, it helps you to get a better grip of the characters, it's downright terrifying at times as it is noticeably easier to notice just how quiet and efficient Anton Chigurh is as he creeps across the streets or a motel. It just proves that you don't need to have a soundtrack with a heartbeat bass or intense and uncomfortable music in order to have an absolutely thrilling film. 

However, I was none too impressed by the ending. Leaving the film to end so enigmatically and showing the deaths of two main characters in such an anti climatic way did not leave a brilliant taste in my mouth. With time the ending may seem more impressive, but as a user 'DonFishies' states on IMDb, "It speaks volumes to the film's title, but it just does not feel satisfying compared to the rest of what we saw. Even with its enigmatic devices at play, I still cannot come to terms with how the film closes. It does haunt, and in a way, it may prove to be a significantly stronger ending as time rolls on. But as it stands now, it just feels weak."

This certainly wasn't enough to corrupt my overall view of the film. The first three quarters featured some of the most intense moments I've ever felt when watching film, and it's this kind of feeling that I wanted to incorporate into my opening sequence.