18 Years Ago, This 'Visionary' Film Made History at The Oscars

On February 24, 2008, No Country for Old Men had an incredible night at the Academy Awards, taking home four Oscars from eight nominations—including Best Supporting Actor, where Javier Bardem became the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar.

The film, directed by Joel & Ethan Coen, is a neo-Western that follows a lonesome ranger who is hunted down by a psychopathic killer after he stumbles across a huge amount of money by chance.

‘No Country for Old Men’ Was Voted One of the Best Films of All Time

At the time of release, No Country for Old Men received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics around the world—and in the years since, it's only become more beloved. The film currently sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews calling it "visionary", "triumphant", and "deeply humanistic".

In 2021, the Writers' Guild of America ranked its screenplay fifth in their list of the 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far). It was also ranked 31 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" list, and fifth on the New York Times' ranking.

No Country for Old Men faced some tough competition at the Academy Awards in 2008, going up against films like There Will Be Blood and Atonement. It was one of the most impressive lineups in modern memory, and the film still managed to sweep up half of the categories it was nominated in.

The most memorable moment of the ceremony was Javier Bardem's historic win in Best Supporting Actor, where he beat the likes of Casey Affleck and Philip Seymour Hoffman to become the first ever Spanish actor to win an Oscar. It was a groundbreaking moment that honored Bardem's incredible performance and pushed the Academy Awards closer to the realm of diversity and inclusivity it sits in today.