Best of 2007 Review No Country For Old Men and There will Be Blood

Ok this may seem a bit late but I just want to give my own personal best of 2007 review. I’m going to breaking down No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood now that I have finally seen both, and have had time to really think about them. Also note this is not a comparison style review and don’t expect a top three towards the end. If you like the top three just wait for my next review, if you don’t know what I’m talking about feel free to check out my other reviews ;)

Lets start with No Country for Old Men as it was the first one I watched. The plot is, in essence, a simple one. Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong where he finds two million dollars. He takes the money and is now on the run from ultra badass Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who is willing to kill anyone to get the money back. There is of course more to it but I don’t want to spoil anything. There is also an almost side-plot where we follow Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) as he discovers all the carnage Chigurh leaves in his wake. He always arrives just a little too late but is very important to the story because he provides an everyman character to fill our place in the story. He discovers all the pieces as we do, and gives us insight into the town around him. He begins and ends the story for us and sets a tone that follows through the movie with some truly amazing pieces of dialogue. There is also a character named Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson) who gives us a bit of background on Chigurh. Now that I have that out of the way let’s get into some criticism.

Bardem won his Oscar for a good reason, he was brilliant in this film. He played the most believable psychopath I have ever seen, which in this film is a really good thing. He was so cool and composed while killing and destroying (the action in this movie is brutal but also very stylish)and his dialogue was perfect, both sinister and brilliant. This is one of those movies where you’ll be thinking, “man I hope the bad guy survives". The rest of the cast is superb as well, with not one weak performance in sight. It’s also important to note the direction is great and the scenes are played out well to create all kinds of tension. Some beautiful cinematography aswell.

I never read the book but from what I hear the movie is very faithful to it. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I’m assuming the lines the characters spoke come directly from the novel, but bad because they also brought in a flaw from the book. Anyone who has seen or followed this movie knows what I’m talking about. I’m going to clear this debate up now before I get ahead of myself, the movie has an ending and it’s perfect. What it lacks is a climax. And I don’t care what the fans of the book say you don’t cut out the climax of any story, no matter what medium it appears in. No matter how it’s portrait it’s a flaw. And yes it did make me mad until I realized the movie wasn’t done. The falling action (or the denouement, if you’re a lit geek like me) is awesome and resolution at the end sums up the entire film, both thematically and stylistically, perfect. Really the only problem lies with the lack of climax but at the same time this lone problem will make a lot of people mad, it’s the kind of flaw that could actually ruin the movie for you. But if you’re like me it will be over shadowed by the amazing acting and dialogue.

I loved this movie but I can’t give it a perfect score because of its one Achilles heel, the lack of a climax. So It’s an A and should be on your list of movies to see, unless you’re the kind of person who really needs that money shot to get off. But you know who you are and if that’s how you role I suggest the next movie I’ll review, There Will be Blood.

I heard nothing but praise about this movie going in, so my expectations were extremely high. Luckily, unlike most movies, this one did not disappoint. It was a really tight film with beautiful cinematograph great directing and…the acting. The acting is spectacular each character has so much depth and realism, but you won’t even notice them. Aside from the preacher kid the only thing you will watch is Daniel Day-Lewis, in one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. He was amazing, and though some might say the plot is only an excuse to see him act it doesn’t matter. There could have been no plot and I still would have been in awe for the entire film. If he had not won the Oscar it would have been a huge surprise.

The plot is good, not inspired but that’s not what the movie is about. It is a character film where we follow Daniel Day-Lewis’ character Daniel Plainview. We see him grow as a character; we see his highs and his lows. And no matter what path he takes we follow him, until the end. Now I know I haven’t mentioned any plot points so I’ll sum it up quick. Daniel is a self-made oilman in the process of build an oil empire and the bulk of the movie involves him trying to start a big oil site in Little Boston, California. He has to secure rights to drilling as well as deal with a young preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) who, like Daniel, wants power. Once again there is more to the plot but there is no sense ruining it for you. As mentioned it is good, just not brilliant. But what it does well is create situations that expose the depths of the main characters, especial Daniel.

It is a great film and has no real flaws. However some people will be turned off by it’s slow pace and emphasis on character development. It is certainly not an action flick. The first portion of the movie may bother some people as well, there is no dialogue for about the first ten or fifteen minutes. However if you’re the kind of person who loves to follow deep characters, loves beautiful directing and amazing acting, and isn’t bothered by the pacing this is an A+ movie.

Just to make this clear I actually enjoyed No Country for Old Men more. I loved both but for some reason No Country just struck a cord for me despite it’s flaw. However, on the whole There Will Be Blood is the better, stronger movie. If you have a problem with it’s pacing though you may prefer No Country because it is faster and more action packed. Both are extremely well written and if you are a movie lover you owe it to your self to see them both.