BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The title itself sounds chilly. "No Country for Old Men" is suspenseful, bleak and haunting, but the mesmerizing quality of the filmmaking and the masterful performances will catch your nerves.

    The movie, adapted from Cormac McCarthy's 2005 best seller, is directed by Ethan and Joel Coen.

    Set in 1980 in a desolate and barbaric village on the Texas-Mexico border, where the drug deals and violence pervade. The plot focuses on the brutal chase after a man who stole huge amounts of drug money.

    It hinges on a trio of archetypal characters: the loner cowboy (Josh Brolin), the villainous outlaw (Javier Bardem) and the wise sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones).

    Bardem's rootless and sadistic character makes the most indelible, skin-crawling impression, while some shots of the scenic Texas landscape, the down-home Texan-flavored dialogue, the dark humor, and the director's virtuosic dexterity make the movie very poetic.

    It also affords an opportunity for audience to muse on larger concerns: the pervasiveness of violence and lawlessness in modern society.

    "No Country" has gained a high reputation at the 60th Cannes Film Festival and is set to make a global debut in November.

    (Agencies)