The Decade List: No Country for Old Men (2007)

No County for Old Men – dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

At the end of 2007, when making my annual “Best of the Year” lists, I named the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men my #1. At the time, it really was a tough call between three films released in the US, but I made the safe call… and while I think my opinion has changed (at least regarding the claim of it being the best, or even my favorite, film of 2007), the film hasn’t really lost anything as a result. But still, as I had little to say about it when I made my Best of ’07, I still have nothing more to say that hasn’t been said already. I went back to my official “review” of it, and, nope, nothing worth reprinting here. Alas, it’s hard not to admit No Country for Old Men is a pretty damn good film.

With: Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant, Stephen Root
Screenplay: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Music: Carter Burwell
Country of Origin: USA
US Distributor: Miramax/Paramount Vantage

Premiere: 19 May 2007 (Cannes Film Festival)
US Premiere: 6 October 2007 (New York Film Festival)

Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor – Javier Bardem, Best Adapted Screenplay (Academy Awards); Best Director, Best Supporting Actor – Javier Bardem, Best Cinematography (BAFTAs); Best Supporting Actor – Javier Bardem, Best Screenplay (Golden Globes); Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Directors Guild of America); Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Javier Bardem, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Screen Actors Guild); Best Adapted Screenplay (Writers Guild of America); Best Foreign Film (David di Donatello Awards, Italy); Best American Film (Robert Awards, Denmark)