Prime Video is about to lose an utterly blistering thriller in just a few days. If you've not yet experienced "No Country for Old Men", now's the perfect time to check it out.
Released in 2007 and based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, the Coen brothers' acclaimed Western crime thriller is a disturbing but mesmerizing experience. Beautifully shot and brought to life through some fantastic performances, it revolves around a brutal cycle of violence involving a good guy on the run, a briefcase full of cash, a psychopathic killer and an aging Sheriff that plays out across the landscape of western Texas.
At the time of writing, Prime Video says the movie's leaving in just one week, meaning you'll have to track it down on another of the best streaming services after Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
Not sure whether the movie's right for you? Here's a little bit more info about "No Country for Old Men", including a deeper dive into the plot and a very small sample of the praise that "No Country for Old Men" has earned since its release (spoiler alert: pretty much everyone thinks you should give it go).
What is 'No Country for Old Men' about?
In "No Country for Old Men", we meet Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a man who comes across the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong while out hunting one day.
After taking a briefcase full of cash from the scene, Moss finds himself being hunted by the ruthlessly efficient and utterly terrifying hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who is hired to find the missing money and is prepared to kill anyone who gets in his way.
The other major player in our tale is third-generation local lawman, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who begins investigating the case with the help of his deputy, Wendell.
Should you watch 'No Country for Old Men'?
Let me answer that question easily: Yes, if you haven't seen "No Country for Old Men" before (or just haven't revisited it for a while), you absolutely should stream the Coen Brothers' classic. I'm obviously a big movie buff, but I do my best not to throw words like 'masterpiece' around all too often ... and yet I think "No Country for Old Men" fits the bill.
If my humble opinion isn't enough to convince you to stream 'No Country for Old Men' before it leaves Prime Video, might I also point out that it bagged four Oscars in 2008 (including Best Picture) from eight nominations, has received plenty of awards nods elsewhere, and holds an auspicious 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from just shy of 300 reviews? It's just that good.
The review aggregate site's critical consensus reads: "Bolstered by powerful lead performances from Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, "No Country for Old Men" finds the Coen brothers spinning cinematic gold out of Cormac McCarthy's grim, darkly funny novel."
If you want to dive into specific reviews, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw proclaimed the movie was the best movie in the Coens' career at that point in his 5-star review, calling it: "a dark, violent and deeply disquieting drama, leavened with brilliant noirish wisecracks, and boasting three leading male performances with all the spectacular virility of Texan steers."
Variety critic Todd McCarthy meanwhile labeled the movie both "a scorching blast of tense genre filmmaking shot through with rich veins of melancholy, down-home philosophy, and dark, dark humor" and a movie that was "destined for acclaim".
Finally, in his 4/4 review, film critic Roger Ebert said of "No Country for Old Men": "Many of the scenes in "No Country for Old Men" are so flawlessly constructed that you want them to simply continue, and yet they create an emotional suction drawing you to the next scene. Another movie that made me feel that way was "Fargo". To make one such film is a miracle. Here is another".
If, after all that bluster, you're still not bothered about catching "No Country for Old Men" before it leaves Prime Video at the end of September, be sure to check out our guide to the very best movies on Prime Video that you can stream right now.
