A “masterpiece” crime thriller based on a classic novel is streaming now in the UK. No Country for Old Men (2007) is set in 1980s Texas, and focuses on intersecting lives of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a war veteran who discovers a life-changing fortune in the desert after a drug deal goes wrong, cold-hearted assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who has been tasked with recovering the money, and lawman Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who is is trying to piece together what happened at the ill-fated meeting.

The film was adapted from Cormac McCarthy‘s best-selling 2005 novel of the same name and written, directed, produced, and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. No Country, as its known among fans, was lavished with praise by critics, and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Bardem also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor gong for his performance as Anton, with the Coen brothers bagging Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

A Redditor writing on the r/movies subreddit said the movie is “perfect”.

“I had this inkling in the back of my mind for years I had gotten a poor experience with this movie,” they wrote. “I watched it again a year ago alone and loved it. I watched it again tonight and loved it. The movie’s intense, perfectly paced, and very well executed.

“It is now one of my favourite films. Go watch it if you haven’t,” they added.

One fan writing on IMDb wrote said they don’t remember being so scared in a movie theater since seeing the 1973 horror/mystery classic Don’t Look Now.

“Here the Coen Brothers take everything a step further with exhilarating ease. The terror was genuine and not because we were rooting for Josh Brolin or anybody in particular.

“The terror was personal, Joel and Ethan Coen made that terror visceral and tangible. It has to do with our own nightmares.”

Another called it a “hauntingly flawed unconventional masterpiece”.

“Days after seeing it, I am still haunted by No Country for Old Men,” they wrote. “There is just something so effectual and uncompromising about it, that mere words will only begin to skim the surface of the cinematic excellence on display.”

A third wrote: “If you’re a Coen brothers fan, you’re gonna be extremely delighted with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. This is Ethan and Joel at the pinnacle of their directing careers, something that should not be missed by anyone interested in film or entertainment.”

The film has a 15 certificate and contains strong bloody violence, so viewer discretion is advised.

No Country for Old Men is streaming now on Paramount+ and on Amazon Prime for those with a Paramount+ subscription. It’s also available on YouTube with a Primetime subscription and can be bought or rented on Sky Store, Curzon, and Apple TV.