No Country for Old Men

An ordinary guy named Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) lucks into $2 million in cash and, what the hell, makes off with it. Turns out his luck is bad, since someone else, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), wants the money back. And Chigurh, a deadpan psycho whose weapon of choice is a cattle stun gun, is one tough sickie.

No Country for Old Men, out Nov. 9, is Joel and Ethan Coen's adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel and, says Joel, "about as close as we'll ever get to an action movie." Close, and thrilling, enough. The 2-hr. chase is twisty, the movie's tone as dry and remorseless as the West Texas landscapes crisscrossed by the two main characters: a kind of hero on the run and an indelible villain to give you the nightmare creeps.

— RICHARD CORLISS