No Country For Old Men (2007) *****

If Alfred Hitchcock was still alive he would have made No Country For Old Men. The classic story of a man that, in the midst of the daily grind, ends up walking into a situation beyond what he thought he would experience that morning. Then he has to face the consequences of all of it. In No Country For Old Men Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles on the remains of a shootout while hunting. As curiosity gets the better of him and he begins to examine the scene he discovers a briefcase full of money. Being the human being that he is, he takes the money and a pistol home and causes the dominoes to fall as he begins to be stalked by the psychotic Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), the epitomy of unstoppable hit men who kills his way to Llewelyn and the money. Throw into this Tommy Lee Jones as the sheriff that's trying to piece it all together and save Llewelyn's skin and you get a cat and mouse game between a guy that was just out hunting and a vengeful drug cartel.

Adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy and dircted by Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men is a great thriller that follows that classic Hitchcock formula ala North By Northwest- the guy that stumbles into trouble and has to get out of it while running from the bad guys. Llewelyn thinks he knows how to get out of this mess, but is really just drowning in the situation he's gotten into. Brolin plays him as totally optimistic, even when bleeding and hiding in a Mexican hospital. Bardem is the philosophical killing machine, debating the significance on whether a coin is heads or tails while on his killing spree to get back his money. He's like the Terminator- he will not stop until his goal, and his own sense of duty, are fulfilled.

The Coen's have filled the film with suspense. Most thrillers such as this run around in circles, but they have kept this film on a linear path that doesn't repeat itself over and over again. Between the game between Moss and Chiguhr, Tommy Lee Jones' character tries to sort everything out and save Llewelyn's ass. The problem that all of the characters have to face is the Killer's Morality- he is described as being on a higher standard than most and satisfies everything he promises, right up until the end.

As I said, No Country For Old Men is a Hitchcock film for the new millennium. A film filled with a thrilling plot that delivers a great ride for the audience. A real classic.