No Country for Old Men Review: The Coen Brothers’ Cat-and-Mouse Thriller Adapted from Cormac McCarthy is a Decade-Defining Classic

   January 5, 2025

Revisiting No Country for Old Men on its 4K Criterion Collection release reminded me why this film stands among the greats—not just of 2007, not just of the 21st century, but of all time. It’s Joel and Ethan Coen at their most precise and uncompromising, blending their dualistic approach to filmmaking: the sharp nihilism of their darker works with the understated, situational humor that defines their lighter outings. It’s a masterpiece of tension, craft, and existential dread, all wrapped in a narrative as sparse and unrelenting as the Texas landscape it inhabits.

No Country for Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men (2007)

While No Country for Old Men is often praised for its stark and brooding tone, revisiting it brought out how slyly funny it is in moments. Not in a way that undercuts the tension, but through the dry, quick-witted one-liners from Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) and the grim absurdities of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). This humor is subtle and fleeting, buried in a narrative that’s otherwise unyielding in its bleakness, but it’s a testament to how finely calibrated every element of this movie is.

The Coens’ direction is meticulous, and the script—a tight adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel—is a feat of cinematic storytelling. The film juggles three distinct perspectives: Llewelyn Moss, the everyman caught in a deadly game; Anton Chigurh, an embodiment of chaos and inevitability; and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, a world-weary observer trying to make sense of it all. Tommy Lee Jones’s portrayal of Bell is especially remarkable; his character seems to exist in an entirely different world than Moss and Chigurh, yet his presence adds a profound layer of humanity and reflection to the story.

The film’s technical precision is unparalleled. From Roger Deakins’s stark and atmospheric cinematography to the minimalist sound design (eschewing a traditional score), every choice amplifies the tension. The geography of the movie is so clearly defined that you always know where the characters are in relation to one another, enhancing the suspense during the motel confrontations and desert chases. The Coens turn physical spaces into extensions of the story, making even the quietest moments feel loaded with potential danger.

The supporting cast, though appearing sparingly, delivers in spades. Woody Harrelson’s turn as the overmatched Carson Wells is a brief but memorable injection of charisma, while Kelly Macdonald’s Carla Jean provides the story with an emotional core that humanizes Moss’s otherwise stoic resolve. Even minor roles, like those played by Garret Dillahunt and Stephen Root, feel essential, enriching the film’s larger world and making No Country for Old Men feel completely realized from beginning to end.

The year 2007 was a banner year for cinema, and No Country for Old Men is often mentioned in the same breath as There Will Be Blood and Zodiac. It’s a year that stands out not only for its quality but also for the way these films collectively explored human ambition, morality, and destruction. For me, the best movie of 2007 is always the one I’ve watched most recently—but No Country for Old Men might just be the one I return to the most.

The Coens are so consistently brilliant that debating whether No Country for Old Men is their greatest work feels almost trivial. Is it better than Fargo or Inside Llewyn Davis? Perhaps. But what’s undeniable is how it showcases their ability to balance mainstream appeal with deeply auteurist filmmaking. It’s a film of rare mastery, one that distills existential themes, technical prowess, and narrative ingenuity into a singular, unforgettable experience. A towering achievement in every sense.

Score: 10/10

No Country for Old Men (2007)

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Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have directed the following movies (either together or separate):

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