'No Country for Old Men' delivers and then some

I missed No Country for Old Men when it was in the theaters, so I was pleased last weekend when I got to see it on DVD. Obviously, there was a lot of buzz around the film last year, and it won several Academy Awards.

I thought it was an outstanding film, and if you are a fan of the Coen brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, O Brother, Where Art Thou?), you won't be disappointed by it.

I wont spend a lot of time re-hashing the plot other than to say it revolves around a man who finds $2 million in drug money and is pursued by an amoral drug dealer who wants to kill him and get the money back. If you want a more detailed discussion and review of the film, click here.

However, here are some random thoughts I have. As I was watching the film, I kept wishing that I had gotten to see it on a theater screen. Suspenseful drama always plays out better on a big screen.

Also, this film is a great example that a film can be understated yet still contain a lot of suspense and thrills. The film has no musical score to manipulate our emotions, and there are chunks of the film that contain little to no dialogue.

Too many movies rely on gimmicks to manipulate suspense, but the Coen brothers did a good job of letting quietness generate the suspense inside the viewer. The first Alien film was great at that, as was many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films.

If you haven't seen it, rent it. Keep in mind that it is rated 'R' and isn't for the little kiddies.