Up front, “No Country for Old Men” isn’t for everyone. This is hard film, but the duo of brothers Ethan and Joel Coen have created a serious, brooding, haunting masterpiece. Yes, a masterpiece, and arguable a perfect one at that.

Like all great literature, “No Country for Old Men” is about a quest and much more. The film is based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same title. Set in west Texas in 1980, cowboy Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is hunting when he comes upon a drug deal gone very wrong. Moss finds $2 million in hard cash and sees an opportunity to have the greener side of the fence for him and his wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald).

Brolin charges fully into the role of Moss while giving the character a very human touch. He’s not just some dumb hick thinking he’s gotten lucky. Moss knows the money must belong to someone and that someone will want it.

Anton Chigurh is the someone who comes after Moss. Spanish actor Javier Bardem is chilling and effective as Chigurh, a monster capable of killing at the flip of a coin, and far more frightening than the likes of horror movie cardboard cutout with murder machines. At the same time, this monster is captivating. Clearly he lives life only on his terms, something few people seem to be able to always do.

Moss runs, Chigurh gives chase and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is the lawman seeking both men. Tommy Lee Jones portrays Bell as a man who has seen much bad and wonders if there’s any reason to keep on fighting the good fight. Bell is practical, smart and weary. Like the winds eroding west Texas, this world has eroded Bell. As he puts it: “It starts when you begin to overlook bad manners. Anytime you quit hearin’ ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am,’ the end is pretty much in sight.’

And that’s just the point. The film shows a society peeling away its own layers, where there’s not just no country for old men, but nearly anyone. When Bell and a fellow lawman talk about how bad things are, the men are reduced to using cliches. Even language is useless to describe or define their experience. The Coens have created a Wild West where Moss’ cowboy is out of date, the sheriff knows he’s out-gunned in too many ways and only animals akin to Chigurh have a hope of making it here.

The performances are strong and each is Oscar-worthy. The characters also take on the long literary tradition of reflecting their very names. Bell’s every bit of wisdom and pain and despair rings true, but he’s not so foolish to think anyone will care, Moss clings to his wispy-thin life and Chigurh sounds like a hush first and then a growl. That’s fitting for a predator.

The film plays much like a classical Greek tragedy; there’s only one way it can end. But that’s not the point. Like any work of art, what it’s about isn’t as important as how it’s about it. That’s why Bell’s final scene feels so dreadfully true, with a terrible staying power filling his words so they surround all that has come before in the film, even well after the credits finish.

If there is one significant problem with “No Country for Old Men” it’s that the film is showing in only a few theaters in Oregon and Washington, and so far it hasn’t graced screens in Pendleton or Hermiston. Find where it’s playing and go. It’s a scary and dark trip, and worth every mile.

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Phil Wright is a senior reporter for the East Oregonian and an amateur student of film.