★★★★ No Country for Old Men

[Twinkletoes: 4.5, Tiny: 4.0, Gino: 3.5]

Twinkletoes says: 'It's been a while since I have re-watched any of the Coen brother's films but my sense is that this just might be their greatest work. The job done on every facet of this film is wonderful but the one thing that stands out above all others is the performance of Javier Bardem. I am not exaggerating when I say he gives one of the greatest performances I have ever seen in a film. His portrayal of pure evil and the sense of dread and tension he brings to every moment he is on the screen is mesmerizing. The only nagging issues I had with the film were that at times some of the plot elements were a little confusing but in thinking it out afterwards, not at all nonsensical, and, as has been noted in many a review, the ending. But unlike many others I had no issue with what happened or didn't happen at the conclusion of the film. My issue was the sudden change in tone and time frame.'

Tiny says: 'I was between a 3.5 and 4.0, but the fact is, I can't get this movie out of my head several days after seeing it, in a good way. More specifically, Javier Bardem's portrayal of bad-guy Anton Chigurh is impossible to forget. He had me terrified and smiling simultaneously. This is a tense, fairly violent film with a good amount of dark humor. I'd like to see it again to just enjoy the performances and great filmmaking and worry less about the plot, which, upon a LOT of reflection, is not really that important to the movie.'

Gino says: 'This type of film is not my cup of tea, thus the relatively weak recommendation, even though I thought it was technically excellent. Beautifully shot, and impeccable art direction, I thought. Any good western is all about the chase, and this was no exception (there is one amazing scene of the bit bull chasing the guy in the river...) However, I most admired the fact that the plot eventually unraveled and defied all convention: (highlight for spoilers below, which I may actually have misunderstood?): The bad guy gets away, the good guy protagonist dies at the hands of incidental characters, and the sheriff on his tail just retires. These I enjoyed because in the real world, everything doesn't resolve itself as tidy as it does in most movies. '