Billed by some as one of the Coen brother's best films (a list that includes Fargo and The Big Lebowski), No Country for Old Men is a visually powerful film that features a visual vocabulary that shows more than it tells. It all begins when a Vietnam veteran, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), discovers a botched drug deal while hunting. Moss makes off with a satchel of cash, eventually making him the target of a cold-hearted hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), forcing Llywelyn to stay one step ahead of the assassin. As the two compete in their cat-and-mouse game, soon-to-be-retired sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) must make sense of the sudden eruption in violence following the duo.
While it is short on explanation, No Country for Old Men creates a film where even the smallest of character ticks speak volumes. While this does contribute to the "lost" feeling I described above, it's something that works if you'll let your brain relax and slowly piece together the puzzle being laid out in front of you. Although the plot seems to dictate numerous high-speed chases, No Country for Old Men takes a slower pace, while creating a world fraught with danger. While you can sometimes go into a movie and expect for certain characters to survive, No Country for Old Men makes no guarantees, resulting in a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat despite its slower pacing.
Of course, it would be impossible to review the film without looking at the actor's performances. While a lot of credit goes to both the Coen brothers and cinematographer Roger Deakins, Brolin, Lee and Bardem are what ultimately make the film work. Brolin is great, portraying a character that you can't help but root for while Bardem is a dark, single-minded force that easily ranks among some of the creepiest characters in film.
In addition to three previously released extras from the original Blu-ray and DVD release ("Making of No Country," "Working with the Coens" and "Diary of a Country Sheriff"), the Collector's Edition comes with over five hours of new features (mostly interviews), including an hour-long interview between director Spike Jonze and the Coen brothers. This is, without question, one of the best new features included and shouldn't be missed.
No Country for Old Men - Collector's Edition is another in a series of mislabeled two discs sets. The movie and its extras are all packed away on a single Blu-ray disc, while the second serves as a key for a digital copy of the movie through iTunes. However, despite a bit of misdirection, the Collector's Edition is worth every dollar when it comes to extras - that is, if you're a fanatical Coen brothers devotee. Otherwise it doesn't put up much of an argument for a re-purchase.
