No Country for Old Men
JimC
Joe Blevins
"JimC" <jimco...@juno.com> wrote in message
news:1161287205.4...@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> ... is the next Coen Brothers film, I hear. Anyone read the book?
>
>
I have indeed. Specifically because of the upcoming movie, in fact.
Simply put, this will be the Coen Brothers' most serious movie yet. "No
Country For Old Men" is a grim novel from start to finish, a work of
unrelieved despair and pessimism. There is, I suppose, a certain
pitch-black humor in the way the violence escalates to absurd levels, but
this definitely is NOT a comedy. The novel is as philosophical as it is
bloody, and the novel's highlights are the "monologues" by the protagonist,
a Texas sheriff who will be portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. Hopefully, the
Sheriff's monologues will be transferred to the screen as narration.
If you want to compare it to previous Coen films, I'd say it's "Fargo" meets
"Blood Simple" with a body count comparable to "Miller's Crossing." From
"Fargo," you get a sensible, sympathetic, good-hearted police officer who
investigates a series of brutal and senseless crimes committed for the sake
of "a little bit of money." From "Blood Simple," you get the story's
geographical backdrop: Texas, which is presented as a desolate, dangerous,
almost lawless place forsaken by God. Think back to Visser's opening
monologue from "Blood Simple," which is heard over eerie shots of the
desert: "What I know about is Texas, and out here, you're on your own."
That sums up "No Country" fairly well. From "Miller's Crossing," you get a
series of gangland rubouts and double crosses which culminates in the death
of just about everybody.
Thanks,
Joe
JimC
> Simply put, this will be the Coen Brothers' most serious movie yet.
Sorry for the late reply, I missed this somehow. It sounds right up
their alley.
Joe Blevins
Definitely. It's written in a style I would call "elevated pulp" -- i.e. a
thoughtful/philosophical approach to the violent, lurid plotlines usually
found in pulp novels. Several of the Coens' best films are in this
"elevated pulp" style ("Blood Simple," "Fargo," "Miller's Crossing," "Man
Who Wasn't There," etc.), so "No Country" should fit in nicely. It'll be
really interesting to see how Roger Deakins films the bleak Texas landscapes
where the story takes place. And of course, the plot revolves around the
most essential of Coen themes: the lengths people will go to for money.
That theme is present in basically all of their movies, and it's
front-and-center in "No Country."
--Joe--