10 Best Films By 2013's Most Highly Praised Directors

5. The Coen Brothers - No Country For Old Men

Choosing the best Coen brothers film is like trying to pick a favorite Yankee from the 1927 roster. These guys have a stellar body of work behind them; without even delving into Fargo, they've also got The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, True Grit, Blood Simple, and A Serious Man on their resumes. Nearly every one of their movies is revered by the serious filmgoing community and critics rejoice almost every time a new picture of theirs comes out. With their opaque, oddball style and hyper-intelligent, wicked sense of humor, they infuse every script they write and every feature they direct with an idiosyncratic, instantly-recognizable stamp. So what separates their Oscar-winning 2007 drama from the rest of their quality work? Well, a few things. Number one: Javier Bardem in the most mesmerizingly sinister performance of the 2000s, along with Heath Ledger's Joker and Christoph Waltz's Hans Landa. Number two: the wide-reaching, downright impeccable cinematography by Roger Deakins, which becomes a character unto itself in the film. And finally, the staggering level of tension the Coens manage to maintain for two hours of screen time. During precisely every minute of this hard-boiled thriller, your nerves are trembling and your head is arched forward in anxiety, right up till the end.