The Coen Brothers' new film "No Country For Old Men" is a masterpiece of breathtaking proportion. From the moment Chigurh (Javier Bardem, sporting his 'Prince Valiant' hair cut) gleefully strangles a man with a piece of chicken wire, it's clear that this isn't your typical convivial vision of the American heartland. This is indeed a grim and often startling portrait of desert politics in which a botched drug deal pushes three very different men to their absolute ethical limit.
Bardem's stark portrayal of a callous sociopath is brilliant and he commands attention every time his venomously cold-blooded presence graces the screen. Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones both turn in some pretty stellar supporting work, but this is Bardem's film from the roaring start to the depressingly bleak finish. His devilishly frightening stare channels a little Hannibal Lecter at times and aids in creating one of the scariest villains in cinematic history.
In the end, the Coens stick to Cormac McCarthy's original uninspiring conclusion and the film eventually becomes a somber meditation on the deterioration of moral values in society. Jones's sheriff has seen enough and his once vibrant optimism quickly turns to sour cynicism in the wake of Chigurh's carnage.
I personally loved this film and think it's one of the year's very best, but I found out in a hurry that not everyone feels the same. After the final scene rolled, someone behind me literally yelled out "Are you shitting me?," so I guess everyone has their own cup of tea.
- **** out of 4
"Hot Fuzz" is one of the surprise gems of 2007. It's a hysterically funny parody of the bumbling buddy cop genre that is almost too aware of its own intentions. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost bring non-stop laughs to the table and help turn this one into a brilliantly satirical take on films such as "Point Break" and "Bad Boys II" that never lets up on the gas.
Even some obvious inside jokes directed at the British audience can't detract from the raucous aura this film generates, so I struggled to find fault with anything director Edgar Wright stirs up. Honestly, I didn't think this film was too noteworthy, but after the screening, I gained even more respect for Wright and his quirky style of filmmaking.
- *** 1/2 out of 4
Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" is a film that immerses its audience in a world of grit and glamour without ever aligning to one side. The question of who's good and who's evil dominates this explosive exposé on the 1970's drug trade and Denzel Washington is the persistently ice-cold innovator calling the shots. His electrifying façade as 1970’s heroin kingpin Frank Lucas is among the sharpest of his career and the way he smoothly manipulates his environment is truly a sight to behold.
When we first meet Lucas, he's grief-stricken over the death of his longtime mentor and friend Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson and pondering over various ways he can maintain his incessant stronghold on the Harlem community. Watching him slickly transition from relatively unknown collaborator to pompous crime lord is really what fuels this film throughout its 2-hour 37-minute running time. The fact that he can flip the switch at any given moment is both troubling and absorbing, so the academy could very well come knocking on Denzel’s door come January.
Scott’s decision to cast Russell Crowe opposite Washington only adds to the prestige of this gritty drug saga and their final scene together brings everything to a luminously calculated conclusion. In the timeless words of Buffalo Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret, “These guys are good. Scary good.”
- *** ½ out of 4
With “Dan in Real Life,” director Peter Hedges has achieved the impossible. He’s managed to create a splendid little rom-com that doesn’t require the audience to load up on the maple syrup prior to viewing. His delicate handling of some disconcerting family interaction works surprisingly well, because the laughs are naturally flowing rather than compulsory and the characters have the opportunity to be emotionally subtle in their expression. The unquestioned chemistry between Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche is what keeps this one from flying off track and, regardless of plausibility, their bubbly romance is very entertaining.
- *** out of 4 - Side Note: Dane Cook is actually tolerable as Dan’s younger brother, so you can put your worries aside.
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