I could stand No Country for Old Men's snail's pace if it was leading up to something, but the story eventually amounts to absolutely nothing and therefore the journey is not worth the trip. The over-rated Coen Brothers have rehashed many Hollywood cliches--Southern sheriffs, an unstoppable killer, guns and drug money--and racial stereotypes and makes them even less compelling than they would normally be. For some reason Javier Bardem won an Oscar for playing a person with no emotional range whose entire characterization is constructed through the score and the editing. Apparently Hollywood types can't tell the difference. Furthermore, he continues a long tradition of non-Caucasian bad guys--the film industry often demarcates good and evil in terms of nationality (white American good, non-white foreigner bad), and this film strikes no new ground in returning to the same xenophobic trope. You know what would be an original film? One in which there are no hit men or drug dealers or gory scenes of guys stitching themselves up as a sign of toughness, and people refuse to take drug money or get involved with the mob. This film will be a waste of your time. |