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"NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN" (2007) (Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Extreme Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Minor None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Drama/Suspense: After finding several million dollars at a crime scene, a hunter goes on the run with it, trying to avoid a ruthless and deadly hitman who's after him, all as a world-weary sheriff tries to intervene before anything else bad happens. PLOT: It's 1980 and Llewelyn Moss (JOSH BROLIN) is a West Texas cowboy and Vietnam vet who, while out hunting, comes across a massacre at the scene of a drug deal gone bad. Various Mexicans are dead, there are drugs in the back of a truck, and the lone but wounded survivor asks for water. More notable, however, is a briefcase containing $2 million, a sum Llewelyn figures will get him and his wife, Carla Jean (KELLY MacDONALD), out of their humble trailer and into a better life. He makes a mistake, however, by going back to help the wounded man, only to find him dead. Others there are not, and give chase. Llewelyn manages to escape, but his previous act now has morose hitman Anton Chigurh (JAVIER BARDEM) after him. When that leaves a trail of violence, veteran lawman Ed Tom Bell (TOMMY LEE JONES) would rather not get involved, being the world-weary sheriff who realizes the times and criminals have changed since he first got into that line of work. Nevertheless, he realizes he must try to prevent any further violence from occurring, a distinct possibility considering that bounty hunter Carson Wells (WOODY HARRELSON) is now also searching for Llewelyn and the missing money. Using every resource at his disposal, the cowboy tries to outwit the men after him, all as the sheriff continues his own pursuit. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens who are serious film buffs definitely will, while the action and violence might draw in those interested in those qualities. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong graphic violence and some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JAVIER BARDEM plays a morose hitman who operates by a very specific set of rules and principles, and who's after Llewelyn, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. JOSH BROLIN plays a Texas hunter and Vietnam vet who discovers and takes a briefcase of $2 million dollars, and must then contend with Anton constantly being on his trail. Resourceful, but in over his head, he must also deal with Carson similarly coming for the money. He briefly drinks. TOMMY LEE JONES plays a weary sheriff who feels overwhelmed by the changes in the world around him, particularly in regards to criminal behavior. Accordingly, he reluctantly tries to find Llewelyn before anyone else gets hurt. WOODY HARRELSON plays another hitman and/or bounty hunter sent to retrieve the money from Llewelyn, but must contend with Anton. KELLY MacDONALD plays Llewelyn's compliant wife who worries about his safety and decides she must go to Bell for help. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this suspenseful drama that's rated R. Profanity consists of at least 2 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, and a woman comes on to a stranger by offering beer back in her room (other brief drinking and smoking are also present). Violence consists of people murdering others via various means (mostly gunfire), while an attack dog is also killed and there's a bad car accident. Much of that has extremely bloody and/or gory results (and many dead bodies are seen from unseen, murderous mayhem), and those scenes and various moments of peril will be rather intense and/or unsettling to most viewers. Some of that behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various characters have very bad attitudes. Some tense family material is present, as are packs of drugs (but no use occurs). If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some bouncy camerawork in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Llewelyn finds what are presumably packs of drugs in a pickup truck's bed. A miscellaneous young guy has a beer, and Llewelyn says he wants it after paying the guy $500 for his coat (to cover up his blood-soaked shirt). Anton pours liquor onto a wound on his leg. Llewelyn lies that he spent the stolen money on "whores" and whiskey. A woman comes on to Llewelyn, saying she has beer back in her room. He says he knows what beer leads to, with her saying it just leads to more beer. BLOOD/GORE With a lawman's back turned to him, Anton slips his legs through his cuffs, sneaks up on the man, and proceeds to strangle him with the cuffs around his neck. Both fall to the floor, and the death is slow and messy, with flailing legs and bloody results (from the victim's neck and/or Anton's wrists). Moments later, Anton washes off those bloody wrists in a sink. Anton uses an "air rod" (a nozzle attached to compressed air that sends a several-inch bolt out at high speed) to kill a man (by placing it to the man's forehead and then deploying it, with bloody results). We see the POV of Llewelyn's hunting rifle scope on some wildlife. He shoots but appears to miss, although he later finds a bloody trail on the ground, but that could also be from an injured dog he spots limping away. Llewelyn comes across a mass murder scene where various dead and rather bloody bodies are on the ground (as is a dead dog), while another dead and bloody man is seen inside a truck (that's riddled with bullets). He slowly makes his way through the scene, gun at the ready, and then finds a badly injured but alive victim in another truck, also bloody. Llewelyn spots a figure under a shade tree in the desert and slowly approaches, gun drawn. He finds, however, that the bloody man is already dead. We see a close-up of Llewelyn's shotgun wound to the shoulder, with him removing some of the shot. At the previous murder scene, Anton shoots his two handlers dead in the head, with brief bloody results. Anton enters the room and shoots the three men inside dead, with the first two shootings having very bloody results. Llewelyn's shirt is bloody after being shot in the shoulder, and Anton follows a trail of blood on the street to try to find him. An innocent man is bloody after being shot and killed. Llewelyn follows a trail of Anton's blood on the street, trying to find him. Llewelyn lifts his shirt and we see blood pour out from his gunshot wound. He then vomits. Anton's pants leg is bloody from his gunshot wound. Anton removes his boot, and we see a lot of blood come out. We then see him in the bath (no nudity) and see his very bloody leg and wound, around which he injects needle shots, and then removes pieces of shot. We see a pool of blood flow toward an assassin's foot that he moves out of its way. Anton shoots and kills a man (with blood on the latter's neck and from his mouth). We hear the sounds of shooting, and then see a dead and bloody body floating in a pool, while other dead, wounded and bloody people are nearby. After a bad car crash, Anton's face, neck and arm are very bloody, with the latter including a bone sticking out through the skin. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Ed narrates about some man who killed a 14-year-old, was caught, and was executed. Anton is a professional hitman who kills many people, while Carson is another hitman and/or bounty hunter who also works for the bad guys. Rather than report a murder scene to the police, Llewelyn takes the money he finds, along with a handgun and machine gun, and leaves. Those responsible for all of the murders (beyond Anton) obviously have bad attitudes. Ed says he heard coyotes won't eat dead Mexicans (a dry joke on his part). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. With a lawman's back turned to him, Anton slips his legs through his cuffs, sneaks up on the man, and proceeds to strangle him with the cuffs around his neck. Both fall to the floor, and the death is slow and messy, with flailing legs and bloody results (from the victim's neck and/or Anton's wrists). Llewelyn comes across a mass murder scene where various dead and rather bloody bodies are on the ground (as is a dead dog), while another dead and bloody man is seen inside a truck (that's riddled with bullets). He slowly makes his way through the scene, gun at the ready, and then finds a badly injured but alive victim in another truck, also bloody. Llewelyn spots a figure under a shade tree in the desert and slowly approaches, gun drawn. He finds, however, that the bloody man is already dead. Llewelyn returns to the murder scene at night to give water to the injured man he found earlier, but that man is now dead. Llewelyn then sees someone letting the air out of his distant truck and then driving toward him, spotlights on. They fire shots at Llewelyn who then takes cover, but then takes off running again, with the truck in pursuit and more shots fired at him. As he comes to the elevated edge of a riverbank, one shot gets him in the shoulder and he tumbles down the hill before jumping into the river. The bad men send their menacing dog after him, and it also goes into the river and washes downstream. Llewelyn eventually gets out, but seeing the dog headed toward the shore, he quickly dries out his handgun, puts the clip back in, and fires a shot just as the dog leaps at him (killing it). Anton acts in a subdued, but menacing way toward a shopkeeper who progressively becomes worried about his safety. Anton then has that man make a coin toss call, and he gets it right, thus meaning he lives. We see Anton hunting for Llewelyn, while the latter is then suspicious of the motel (where he's been staying) when he returns to it, telling his cab driver not to stop at his room. Using his tracking device, Anton thinks he's found Llewelyn (who we've been watching as he does lots of prepping in his motel room). Anton then enters the room, but it's that of other men, and he shoots the three men inside dead, with the second's machine gun wildly firing in the air, and the third is hit through a shower curtain (the man is dressed and is trying to hide there). The first two shootings have very bloody results. After finding the transmitter Anton has been using to track him, Llewelyn prepares himself in his latest motel room, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching the shadow of Anton approaching (seen under the door at the floor). That shadow then moves, the hallway light turns off, and the door lock suddenly blasts out and hits Llewelyn in the torso. He then fires a shot through the door before fleeing out the window, were Anton hits him in the shoulder with a shot, and from where he fires another at Llewelyn who's now down on the street, running away. Llewelyn stops a driver as a means of escape, but once in the truck, gunfire hits the driver, killing him. Llewelyn then tries to drive the truck away from the passenger side and while ducked down, all as gunfire riddles the vehicle that then crashes into another. Llewelyn then fires his shotgun repeatedly at Anton, hitting him once and then repeatedly blasting the vehicle behind which Anton is hiding. We see filled body bags in a truck (the bodies can't be seen). Anton holds his gun on Carson. Anton shoots and kills a man (with blood on the latter's neck and from his mouth), but we don't know if he does the same to a witness there (who obviously appears quite concerned about that). We see men following Carla Jean and her mom when they arrive in a city. Ed slowly enters a crime scene, while we see Anton waiting behind a door with his shotgun at the ready, but it turns out they're in different rooms. We see Anton waiting for his next victim. A vehicle suddenly smashes into Anton's car in a serious wreck that leaves him injured, including a broken arm where the bone is seen out through the skin. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotguns/Machine guns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Anton uses an "air rod" (a nozzle attached to compressed air that sends a several-inch bolt out at high speed) to kill people and blow locks out of doors. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Colossal goat f*ck," "Look at that f*cking bone," "You keep running your mouth, I'll take you in the back and screw you," "Any swinging d*ck," "Whores," "Call it, friend-O," "Dumb ass," "Quit your hollering," "Dumber than hell," "What the hell?" "Bitch" (man), "Hell's bells," "Well, this is just a deal gone wrong," "Gonna raise hell," "Sons of bitches," "You get your ass out of here," "The ultimate badass," "Pissed off," "You go to hell," "Are you jacking with me?" and "Don't jack with me." Anton uses an "air rod" (a nozzle attached to compressed air that sends a several-inch bolt out at high speed) to kill people and blow locks out of doors. All of the stunts and other action might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Llewelyn hides his found case of money in a vent shaft. Llewelyn saws off the barrel of his shotgun to create a sawed-off version. To create a diversion, Anton puts some cloth into a car's gas tank, lights it, and then walks away as the vehicle explodes. JUMP SCENES During a tense scene involving a man threatening another man with a gun, the phone suddenly rings. A vehicle suddenly smashes into Anton's car in a serious wreck. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A little bit of suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 "f" words, 1 "s" word, 1 slang term for sex ("screw"), 1 using male genitals ("d*ck"), 6 hells, 3 asses, 2 damns, 1 S.O.B., 3 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "My God" and "Oh Lord." SEX/NUDITY Llewelyn playfully tells Carla Jean that if she keeps running her mouth, he'll have to take her in the back and "screw" her (so she keeps talking). Anton is nude in a tub (working on his leg wound), but we don't see anything explicit, followed by a view of him in a towel. Llewelyn lies that he spent the stolen money on "whores" and whiskey. A woman comes on to Llewelyn, saying she has beer back in her room. He says he knows what beer leads to, with her saying it just leads to more beer. We see a shirtless teen after Anton buys the boy's shirt (to cover his own wounds). SMOKING A few miscellaneous characters smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Carla Jean worries about her husband's safety for much of the film. A woman gets the non-verbal news that her mother is dead, and there's a later funeral scene. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The advice that you can't stop what's coming (meaning changes in one's life, culture, and such). How older generations view the changes brought on by younger generations (and how Ed feels overwhelmed by the related criminal behavior). Rather than report a murder scene to the police, Llewelyn takes the money he finds, along with a handgun and machine gun, and leaves. People who kill as a profession. VIOLENCE With a lawman's back turned to him, Anton slips his legs through his cuffs, sneaks up on the man, and proceeds to strangle him with the cuffs around his neck. Both fall to the floor, and the death is slow and messy, with flailing legs and bloody results (from the victim's neck and/or Anton's wrists). Anton uses an "air rod" (a nozzle attached to compressed air that sends a several-inch bolt out at high speed) to kill a man (by placing it to the man's forehead and then deploying it, with bloody results). We see the POV of Llewelyn's hunting rifle scope on some wildlife. He shoots but appears to miss, although he later finds a bloody trail on the ground, but that could also be from an injured dog he spots limping away. Llewelyn comes across a mass murder scene where various dead and rather bloody bodies are on the ground (as is a dead dog), while another dead and bloody man is seen inside a truck (that's riddled with bullets). He slowly makes his way through the scene, gun at the ready, and then finds a badly injured but alive victim in another truck, also bloody. Llewelyn spots a figure under a shade tree in the desert and slowly approaches, gun drawn. He finds, however, that the bloody man is already dead, from previous, unseen violence, just like the above. Llewelyn returns to the murder scene at night to give water to the injured man he found earlier, but that man is now dead. Llewelyn then sees someone letting the air out of his distant truck and then driving toward him, spotlights on. They fire shots at Llewelyn who then takes cover, but then takes off running again, with the truck in pursuit and more shots fired at him. As he comes to the elevated edge of a riverbank, one shot gets him in the shoulder and he tumbles down the hill before jumping into the river. The bad men send their menacing dog after him, and it also goes into the river and washes downstream. Llewelyn eventually gets out, but seeing the dog headed toward the shore, he quickly dries out his handgun, puts the clip back in, and fires a shot just as the dog leaps at him (killing it). At the previous murder scene, Anton shoots his two handlers dead (in the head, with brief bloody results). Anton uses his compressed air rod to blow a lock out of a door. Anton shoots a bird on a bridge in passing. Using his tracking device, Anton thinks he's found Llewelyn (who we've been watching as he does lots of prepping in his motel room). Anton then enters the room, but it's that of other men, and he shoots the three men inside dead, with the second's machine gun wildly firing in the air, and the third is hit through a shower curtain (the man is dressed and is trying to hide there). The first two shootings have very bloody results. After finding the transmitter Anton has been using to track him, Llewelyn prepares himself in his latest motel room, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching the shadow of Anton approaching (seen under the door at the floor). That shadow then moves, the hallway light turns off, and the door lock suddenly blasts out and hits Llewelyn in the torso. He then fires a shot through the door before fleeing out the window, were Anton hits him in the shoulder with a shot, and from where he fires another at Llewelyn who's now down on the street, running away. Llewelyn stops a driver as a means of escape, but once in the truck, gunfire hits the driver, killing him. Llewelyn then tries to drive the truck away from the passenger side and while ducked down, all as gunfire riddles the vehicle that then crashes into another. Llewelyn then fires his shotgun repeatedly at Anton, hitting him once and then repeatedly blasting the vehicle behind which Anton is hiding. To create a diversion, Anton puts some cloth into a car's gas tank, lights it, and then walks away as the vehicle explodes. Anton shoots and kills another man (only partially seen, and not unexpected). Anton shoots and kills a man (with blood on the latter's neck and from his mouth), but we don't know if he does the same to a witness there. We hear the sounds of shooting, and then see a dead and bloody body floating in a pool, while other dead, wounded and bloody people are nearby. It's suggested that Anton has killed another person. A vehicle suddenly smashes into Anton's car in a serious wreck that leaves him injured, including a broken arm where the bone is seen out through the skin. Reviewed October 17, 2007 / Posted November 21, 2007

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