15 Years Ago...No Country for Old Men was released

[Professor Emeritus]

I definitely didn’t appreciate how central to the movie tommy lee jone’s character was the first time I watched this which might’ve explained my original disappointment with the ending…

He's even more central to the book. One of the main differences between the movie and the book is that they cut out much of the contemplation narrative by the sheriff, which makes sense cause otherwise the movie would drag.

or at least I think I remember not liking the ending…I feel like anton’s car crash was a bit too “distracting”…would’ve been more poignant imo if he just simply got away but idk…I guess maybe they wanted to leave the viewers with some “hope” that maybe the police eventually caught him…I’ll hit google and see if there’s any specific reason for including that accident or if it was just meant to be completely random…great movie…glad I rewatched it…enjoyed it more as an “old” man lol

My interpretation of the ending is that Anton represents the inevitability of bad shyt happening, how impossible it is to dodge fate/violence that the world has become. But Cormac wanted you to understand that Anton was subject to that same inevitability as well, just because he represented that overwhelming darkness in the movie doesn't mean that he's somehow immune to it. It helps extend the universality of the message from one story to something more universal.

 

[old pig]

My interpretation of the ending is that Anton represents the inevitability of bad shyt happening, how impossible it is to dodge fate/violence that the world has become. But Cormac wanted you to understand that Anton was subject to that same inevitability as well, just because he represented that overwhelming darkness in the movie doesn't mean that he's somehow immune to it. It helps extend the universality of the message from one story to something more universal.

I like this response a lot…I was mulling over who could be considered the protagonist in this film…the most obvious answer is ed but then I thought the ensuing chaos/bad shyt as you put it representing the madness of the world (ed thought it represented a “change” yet it was always there) could be the “main character” in a sense which the crazy accident is a final reminder of…might be a “force” on my end…but one mistake I made on my initial watch was thinking it was simply about llewelyn v anton which it is too a lesser extent but it is definitely deeper than their conflict…not to be a victim of the moment but on rewatch this flick just probably catapulted to one of my top flicks of all time

 

[Bboystyle]

Anton looks the part 1000%.

 

[downtheline]

I like this response a lot…I was mulling over who could be considered the protagonist in this film…the most obvious answer is ed but then I thought the ensuing chaos/bad shyt as you put it representing the madness of the world (ed thought it represented a “change” yet it was always there) could be the “main character” in a sense which the crazy accident is a final reminder of…might be a “force” on my end…but one mistake I made on my initial watch was thinking it was simply about llewelyn v anton which it is too a lesser extent but it is definitely deeper than their conflict…not to be a victim of the moment but on rewatch this flick just probably catapulted to one of my top flicks of all time

If you haven't, go check out a couple of his books. Cormac is such a descriptive writer, and his use of punctuation and cadence is unmatched in my opinion.

Watch out for Blood Meridian, it is not a happy book at all.

Another thing the book mentioned was the Vietnam War. Chigurh was a Green Beret in the book, it was mentioned in passing that Woody Harrelson's character served with him. Most of the characters were Veterans, an angle that was only mentioned briefly in the movie.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

I like this response a lot…I was mulling over who could be considered the protagonist in this film…the most obvious answer is ed but then I thought the ensuing chaos/bad shyt as you put it representing the madness of the world (ed thought it represented a “change” yet it was always there) could be the “main character” in a sense which the crazy accident is a final reminder of…might be a “force” on my end…but one mistake I made on my initial watch was thinking it was simply about llewelyn v anton which it is too a lesser extent but it is definitely deeper than their conflict…not to be a victim of the moment but on rewatch this flick just probably catapulted to one of my top flicks of all time

Yeah, I think Ed is just the narrator. Llewelyn is the foil that the protagonist must defeat. Anton is the tool in the protagonist's hand. The senseless evil of the world is the protagonist.

This is a total random connection that probably no one else would ever make, but the bait-and-switch randomly reminded me of Ex Machina. Like, who is really the protagonist there? The movie is set up to make Caleb the protagonist, but when the script flips on him is that really true? Though I'm not sure if you could call Ava the protagonist either. It's like the hubris of man in general is the real center of the story.

If you haven't, go check out a couple of his books. Cormac is such a descriptive writer, and his use of punctuation and cadence is unmatched in my opinion.

Watch out for Blood Meridian, it is not a happy book at all.

Another thing the book mentioned was the Vietnam War. Chigurh was a Green Beret in the book, it was mentioned in passing that Woody Harrelson's character served with him. Most of the characters were Veterans, an angle that was only mentioned briefly in the movie.

My first exposure to Cormac McCarthy was The Road and half a page in I was thinking, "This punctuation shyt is going to be annoying as fukk." By the second page I had already moved over to, "This is the greatest writer ever."

I'm planning to read Blood Meridian next.

 

[old pig]

This is a total random connection that probably no one else would ever make, but the bait-and-switch randomly reminded me of Ex Machina. Like, who is really the protagonist there? The movie is set up to make Caleb the protagonist, but when the script flips on him is that really true? Though I'm not sure if you could call Ava the protagonist either. It's like the hubris of man in general is the real center of the story.

that is another great fukking movie…seen it twice…definitely warrants another viewing tho since I haven’t seen it in a while

 

[Redwood]

I had this movie (along with The Crow) but it was lost in the flood

Both classics nonetheless

 

[HipHopStan]

This thread inspired me to go watch NCFOM on Paramount Plus last night, so thanks for the up, Coli.

 

[Nero Christ]

I definitely didn’t appreciate how central to the movie tommy lee jone’s character was the first time I watched this which might’ve explained my original disappointment with the ending…or at least I think I remember not liking the ending…I feel like anton’s car crash was a bit too “distracting”…would’ve been more poignant imo if he just simply got away but idk…I guess maybe they wanted to leave the viewers with some “hope” that maybe the police eventually caught him…I’ll hit google and see if there’s any specific reason for including that accident or if it was just meant to be completely random…great movie…glad I rewatched it…enjoyed it more as an “old” man lol

*edit*

I’m seeing a lot of “answers” regarding the significance of the crash but many of them feel forced…I’ll chalk it up as a “random” scene open to interpretation…maybe the writer(s) simply thought it’d be ironic to give him some sort of “poetic justice”…sometimes it can be unnerving when the bad guy just simply gets away…I remember feeling that way about the ending of “the counselor”

@Rhakim touched on the essential point of the film which is the universe has no point. Carla (Llewellyn's wife) didn't deserve to get brought into this but she was and paid the price for no reason other than being the wrong man's wife. Anton gets into the car crash for no other reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and even then, is rewarded by them kids with one literally giving him the shirt off his back (compared to Llewellyn paying for the kid's jacket). However because he (Anton) is a believer of fate and universal forces, he thinks he has to right the wrong of Carla not "calling it" and offers them money.

 

[MischievousMonkey]

One of the best movies I've seen

Can yall recommend other movies like that? That do show don't tell, don't necessarily follow traditional narrative structures, have some layers to the themes/characters explored and have an engrossing plot?

 

[Professor Emeritus]

One of the best movies I've seen

Can yall recommend other movies like that? That do show don't tell, don't necessarily follow traditional narrative structures, have some layers to the themes/characters explored and have an engrossing plot?

Momento

 

[WIA20XX]

One of the best movies I've seen

Can yall recommend other movies like that? That do show don't tell, don't necessarily follow traditional narrative structures, have some layers to the themes/characters explored and have an engrossing plot?

A lot of the Coen Bros movies are along these lines.

A Serious Man is a bit like NCFOM in terms of endings and themes.

Fargo touches on a lot of the non sequitur brutality. The movie and the series.

Sicario for the overall discussion of the nature of violence, in particular The Cartel.

Some say Hell or Highwater - but I disagree with that vehemently.

 

[WIA20XX]

This one is recommended for NCFOM fans.

I haven't seen it, gonna have to hunt it down.

 

[HipHopStan]

wonder how carson found him in the mexican hospital

Carson made a comment/joke about how quickly he found Llewelyn, pointing out that if he can find him that easily then it would be no problem for Chigurh to hunt him down. I think you’re supposed to just get the idea that he’s a talented bounty hunter who can track anyone.





But he's apparently not smart enough to check his surroundings at the hotel at which he is staying when he knows a ruthless and formidable hitman is also in the area too. (As a matter of fact, why would you stay in a public hotel if you're in the profession that Carson is in? Stay as low key and off the grid as much as humanly possible.)

 

[old pig]

Carson made a comment/joke about how quickly he found Llewelyn, pointing out that if he can find him that easily then it would be no problem for Chigurh to hunt him down. I think you’re supposed to just get the idea that he’s a talented bounty hunter who can track anyone.





But he's apparently not smart enough to check his surroundings at the hotel at which he is staying when he knows a ruthless and formidable hitman is also in the area too. (As a matter of fact, why would you stay in a public hotel if you're in the profession that Carson is in? Stay as low key and off the grid as much as humanly possible.)

…the same hotel that resulted in llewelyn getting fukked up at that lol