As the tag line says, "there are no clean getaways." Not when you're a criminal. Not when you make a mistake that puts you in the path of the criminal. Not even in life. Ultimately, everything comes to an end and the best you can hope for is that you survived most of it unscathed.
Damn cheery, eh? Don't let that stop you from seeing this movie though. The Cohen brothers have come through to amazing effect in their latest offering. Their love of vistas is evident in the way they shoot Texas (or at least I'm assuming they actually shot a movie set in TX in TX...course it could be British Columbia for all I know). NCFOM feels much like Blood Simple and Fargo in that there is a continual tension running through the film. You never feel quite at ease, even in the funnier moments. It's as though you know someone is on your tail and they are insane and fully plan on killing you.
The set up to the film is this--Josh Brolin plays an average guy who stumbles upon a drug deal gone very, very bad. He ends up snagging the cash. It doesn't take long for various baddies to start coming after him. Among them, the seriously creepy in an overly calm and methodical sort of way Javier Bardem. The scene where he challenges a poor local gas station owner is full of menace but no guns are drawn and the man isn't even directly threatened. Instead, he is asked what was the most he ever lost on a coin toss. He directs the gas guy to call it. The guy wants to know what he gets if he wins. He is told "everything." It's chillingly obvious what he will lose if he doesn't guess correctly.
Tommy Lee Jones plays the sheriff who is also calm and methodical in his pursuit of Bardem. His character is not unlike Frances McDormand's (sp) in Fargo. He is smart but not showy. He is kind and warm, but he is world weary and feels as though he no longer understands the world around him. He and his deputy provide most of the laughs and the few bright spots in a dark plot.
The writing is lyrical and really stands out as there isn't a lot of dialogue in the film. Jones' description of a dream he had is virtual poetry and he delivers it as a man realizing that mortality is an ever encroaching burden. It's a powerful way to end the film.
If you are a fan of the Cohen's, I can't recommend this film enough. Everyone else, be prepared to not have a pat ending...or at least not a traditional one, but also be prepared to see a beautiful film unfolding in front of you.
Couple more quick things:
Saw a trailer for Funny Games and I've decided Michael Pitt is the go-to guy for creepy, young bastard roles.
Lifted 6000 pounds today. We got in 300 boxes, a double delivery. Nothing scheduled tomorrow which begs the question...why the f**k did we get a double today? Surely no one needs 75 boxes of bargain titles by tomorrow! Oh yeah, I also woke up with a headache that lasted from about 6:45am till around 3:30pm. At least I was better for the movie.
Hopefully this week I'll get out to see Lust, Caution, the latest from Ang Lee. I've heard mixed reviews for it, but I'd still like to see Tony Leung when I get the chance.
Cool exchange from today's movie: follows a moment where Tommy Lee Jones has described what he thinks happened during the commission of the crime.
Deputy: (paraphrasing) "That's pretty linear."
Sheriff: "Age flattens a man..."
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