we just lost one of the masters of the most forceful and dark literature. Cormac McCarthy, a poet of violence and a master of awakening the darkest side of the American western, has died at 89, leaving a huge gap in the culture that is difficult to fill. The kind of writer with whom you can pick up any book and be instantly hooked.
The number of his works that have gone from the pages of the book (or the script for the theater) to the cinema has been limited, with some masterful pieces such as ‘Meridian of Blood’ still pending to be brought to the big screen. Of course, when they have adapted, They have given for masterful films like these three that we highlight today. Although he also gave for unspeakable things like ‘The Counselor’.
‘No country for old men’ (‘No Country for Old Men’, 2007′)
Address: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. Distribution: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald.
McCarthy’s stories are so characteristically dark that they can alter the personality of two authors with such a distinctive voice as the Coen brothers. The creative couple adapt their particular sense of humor and cynicism to deliver an exquisite and terrifying neo-noir with western DNA. One of the masterpieces of his prolific career.
It is difficult to stay with only a few elements in it that shine, because everything is masterful. The direction of the brothers, their ability to adapt the dark and incomprehensible world of McCarthy, the superb photography of Roger Deakins or the great trio of protagonists, highlighting a Javier Bardem chilling in every frame in which he makes an appearance.
View on Skyshowtime | Criticism in Espinof
‘The road’ (‘The Road’, 2009)
Address: John Hillcoat. Distribution: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce.
His work was not all westerns, although its essence manages to sneak in even in works of different genres such as the masterful ‘The Road’, magnificently made into a film by John Hillcoat. One of the definitive post-apocalyptic movies of this centurywith an influence that is still very present today in other media and adaptations such as ‘The Last of Us’.
Its road movie essence puts the air of adventure in the Wild West in the DNA of the story, although its dark vision of the world and humanity captures how McCarthy’s works subvert the genre. Viggo Mortensen and a very young Kodi Smit-McPhee as a revelation offer a perfect dynamic in a tape of raw and perfect atmosphere.
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‘The Sunset Limited (On the verge of suicide)’ (‘The Sunset Limited’, 2011)
Address: Tommy Lee Jones. Distribution: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson.
One of the most minimalist adaptations but also one of the most dramatic, which does not take a McCarthy novel but a play. That, together with its character as a television film, greatly mark this work starring and directed by Tommy Lee Jones, accompanied by Samuel L. Jackson, although manages to be forceful.
Two men form a particular relationship after one prevents the other from committing suicide, although their different perspectives and ideologies progressively become apparent in fascinating conversations. The duo of leading actors would leave you mesmerized even if they were reading the phone book, but here They have top-notch material..
Watch on HBO Max | I think listening to the fans and creating literal adaptations doesn’t do anyone any good.
In Espinof | The best westerns of the 21st century