I’ve seen a lot of exceptional films this year. Zodiac came out swinging in March, and if it would’ve ended up the best this year had to offer, it wouldn’t have surprised me in the least. Once and Waitress made a summer that included Live Free or Die Hard, the latest Harry Potter mess, and *shudder* Spider-Man 3 worthwhile. The Bourne Ultimatum reminded everyone that big-budget action thrillers can be…smart. Across the Universe filled me with hope and made me smile all the way home. And The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, well…they don’t much come better than that.
Until they do.
Because as much as I love those movies (and I LOVE them), they’re very much contained. Which is fine and all, but they’re very easy to consider and, besides my desire to spend more time with such quality filmmaking, I didn’t ache for that second viewing.
I don’t even know what to say about No Country for Old Men at this point. I will tell you it’s exceptional. Even for the Coen Brothers, two of my absolute favorite filmmakers, and almost surely the best of their generation. And you know why this is? Because they don’t have “a masterpiece.” From the time they unleashed Blood Simple all the way through The Man Who Wasn't There*, every single film was excellent. There are some I like better than others, but trying to pick one, or even two or three, to represent the totality of their achievement…forget it.
No Country for Old Men may be that film. Walking out this film, Gray and I both agreed we should probably just stay for the next showing. We didn’t, but I assure you this is a film I will see again, and soon. And when I do, I will attempt to give the film a proper write-up.
*I’ll admit Intolerable Cruelty was a misstep, only in that it doesn’t hold a candle to the rest of their work; I still enjoy it. And I haven’t seen The Ladykillers, but I hear it’s on the same level.
3 comments:
title is from a yeats poem, sailing to byzantium.
just thought i'd give the old dude some props. cause you know, nobel prizes just don't mean what they used to
can't wait to see this movie.
tommy lee has played roughly 34 sheriffs in his career
did you see american gangster?
and who is gray huh
I saw American Gangster, yeah. I took issue with the end, which is the only part I really wanted to discuss, so I didn't end up reviewing it, but otherwise it's a pretty frickin' great movie.
Gray's one of my roommates, a film major in his own right.
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