Scott Rudin Won Oscar For Best Picture
It appears Hollywood is, indeed, country for old men. Or, to be more precise, "No Country For Old Men." The bleak but powerful Coen brothers film that tracks the carnage of a drug deal gone bad had a polarizing effect on many audiences, but staked its claim to greatness Sunday night.
In all, Joel and Ethan Coen's film about the hunt for a case of stolen drug money won four Oscars, including best adapted screenplay, best-supporting actor for Javier Bardem, best director for the Coens, and best picture.
Striking their typically ironic posture, the Coen brothers kept their acceptance speeches short and sweet. Producer Scott Rudin was more effusive, however, when it came time to accept the night's final award, for best picture. "This is an unbelievable honor and a huge surprise," he said.If Rudin really was surprised, he was in a definite minority. Based on the 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy, "No Country for Old Men" was the hands-down favorite going into Sunday night's 80th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Not only did it lead the pack with eight nominations -- tying it for the lead with "There Will Be Blood" -- but it also amassed a raft of honors during the pre-Oscar awards season.
As widely praised as it was by critics, however, "No Country" drew fire from some audiences for the sheer blunt-force nature of its story and its puzzling ending.The ending Sunday night, however, was anything but puzzling. In fact, it became evident fairly early that the film hadn't even come close to exhausting its pre-Oscar momentum: The very first acting trophy of the evening -- for best-supporting actor -- went to Javier Bardem, who created an instant cinema icon with his portrayal of the creepy and ruthless killer on the trail of the stolen cash in "No Country."
