"No Country for Old Men" - A

You may or may not have seen it yet, but "No Country for Old Men" continues to steamroll its way up the "favorites" list of award watchers everywhere. We recently made our way to our favorite movie spot to check out the phenomenon drawn from the Cormac McCarthy novel.

What you're in for: An average, everyday guy is enjoying a day of hunting when he happens upon a scene of carnage from a drug deal gone sour. The man's interest leads him to uncover a rather large sum of money left over from the killings, and he takes advantage of the opportunity at hand. What the new millionaire fails to consider is the truly savage drive of an unknown enemy to get his money back.

"No Country" is a character study bathed in blood. You are deftly guided along a twisting and torturous route through the lives of the average guy, the mad murderer, the law and others drawn together because of the missing money. This is a great tale with all of the fine elements of stories about extraordinary obstacles, mortality, morality and those making sense of a world long-gone crazy.

This film is packed with solid and powerful performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, among others. You'll even get an on-the-mark showing from Woody Harrelson in a simple, yet vital, supporting role. Directors Joel and Ethan Coen get back on their game here as well, fantastically directing their screenplay and crafting a moody yet enjoyable ride through the backroads of humanity.

I suppose it's hard to find too much fault with this film. Yes, some people will have problems with the ending, and still others will not enjoy the nontraditional (or at least not standard-issue Hollywood) method by making you stop to consider why characters are making their decisions. I also enjoyed the Coen's attention to detail as it relates to not inundating the audience with useless dialog, blaring background music and all of the other garbage that detracts from better dramas of the modern era.

To sum it up, go see this one before it hits DVD. Your ticket purchase will commend the establishment for producing an entertaining film, and you'll be rewarded with a great cinematic experience.

Grade: "A" .... this one is great from start to finish. Go see it today.