NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Dir Joel Cohen & Ethan Coen. 2007

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Unrelenting, gratuitous violence in the mould of spaghetti Westerns, this film provides superb tension throughout, with touches of dark humour. Largely silent, with close focus on minutiae, it’s an acute visual experience but also a philosophical treatise on the meaning of life, or lack of it, and the role of chance.

Western lovers will enjoy the abandoned and wrecked pick ups in a circle with corpses strewn about, not a rifle deal gone wrong or a wagon train ambushed by pesky red Indians, but a Mexican drug deal. The lone figure who comes upon this scene is not cheroot smoking Eastwood but a capable, resourceful and monosyllabic ex-Vietnam veteran who keeps one step ahead of his pursuer, the psychopathic assassin who wants to recover the cash.

The Coen brothers drive the narrative along, providing the expected markers of stalking movies: laconic, indestructible assassin Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and his fearless and confident prey, Llewellyn (Josh Brolin), working towards the anticipated final shootout. But, life’s unpredictable.

This is possibly Tommy Lee Jones’ finest performance as Sheriff Bell, the ageing cop who’s seen it all. At the end of a long life, things happen, people die. Does he have to deliver the coup de grace before he retires, or will he, like the rest of us, have to be content with unfinished business and puzzles unsolved? Superbly crafted, finely acted with spot on cinematography, but may leave you dissatisfied.

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GLORIOUS 39. Dir Stephen Poliakoff. 2009

Glorious 39 strips away illusions. Poliakoff presents the apparent idyll of an English aristocratic family headed by genteel patriarch Lord Keyes (Bill Nighy). He presides over a country estate in Norfolk and his elegant townhouse in London – a world of golden light, romantic ruins, servants, house parties and happy children. But this is 1939, a mere 21 years since the Great War, the war to end all wars, in which millions died, Britain was crippled with war debt, and the English country house system which he so values was almost annihilated. There are many references to the ancientness of his family and tradition, but now, few male servants remained alive or unmaimed to work the English landscape or to be in service to the old families. Fearing domestic and political upheaval, appeasers such as Keyes sought to prevent Churchill leading the country and taking Britan to war, and to buy off Hitler to preserve British cultural and national identity. Nighty is excellent, contro...

LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. Dir. Julio Medem 1998

I should have done some research before going to see this because I thought it was going to be about lovers in the Arctic Circle. Instead of being transported to the icy wastes of an unfamiliar landscape the film is set in urban Spain, but in a very cold Spain with wind, rain and everyone in thick jumpers. Shot in near monochrome, the effect is cold and the Spartan interiors of apartments provide a bleak, comfortless setting for love to blossom. Otto and Ana meet as children and are attracted to each other due to the nature of coincidence, and coincidence plays a large part in the narrative. The two children are engaging and there are some comic scenes between them when young and, later, as teenagers, with trysts in the night and their love kept secret. However, once they’re older the story loses momentum and, at times becomes surreal and confusing as the viewpoint moves in and out of the two characters’ imaginations. Otto suffers an extreme grief reaction when his mother acci...

MAN ON WIRE. Dir James Marsh. 2008

Enthralling documentary about young Frenchman Philippe Petit, whose breathtaking audacity gets Enthralling documentary about young Frenchman Philippe Petit, whose breathtaking audacity gets him arrested for the ‘artistic crime of the century.’ Man on Wire has a strong theme of destiny throughout. Magician and unicyclist, the teenage Philippe sees a magazine article about the building of the twin towers of the World Trace Center in New York. At that moment his life’s purpose is clear. Everything he does is focused upon this one aim: to wire walk between the two buildings, half a mile above ground level. As bold and daring as a bank raid, the team manages to get onto the top floor of the Twin Towers, ready for the attempt. Film maker James Marsh uses archive footage, photographs, interviews, recreations and graphics to conjure up a dizzying, exhilarating film. Refreshingly dismissive of rules, Philippe has no time or patience for limits and restrictions. Driven by his pa...

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