Date watched: July 20, 2022
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2022
Review
Last week I decided to catch up on a couple of films that have been sitting on the watchlist for quite some time and front of mind was No Country for Old Men. Yes that’s right fellow cinephiles, it’s taken me 15 years to join the party but I’m here now!
Why this film? A few reasons really; I’ve heard great things about it, Fargo is one of my favourite films (and it doesn’t take much inspiration to trigger a re-watch), of the Coen brothers films that I have seen I’ve enjoyed them and I’m also a Javier Bardem fan. To name a few.
So why did it take so long to watch this film? No idea! I seem to do this a lot though.
I also somehow managed to avoid the details of the plot and who else was in the film. So it did feel like a fresh viewing with no spoilers known in advance. While I typically aim to avoid spoilers in my reviews, there are some scenes I’d like to talk about and I think I’m going to need to include the ending as part of that. So consider this your WARNING. If you have not seen this film and want to avoid spoilers, take a break, go watch the film, and then come back and read on!
What struck me the most was the soundtrack, or more aptly, the lack of a soundtrack. The use of silence just builds up the tension to eleven. In the scene where Chigurh is in pursuit of Moss after catching up with him at the motel I found myself breathing heavily, almost as if I was the one being pursued, to then see that my breath was practically in sync with Moss while he stopped and was hiding behind a wall. I had to hold my breath just to hear him panting. This is one of the reasons I love cinema, for the feelings that it can invoke.
Between Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem I find it difficult to say whose performance I enjoyed more. Both were fantastic and what great characters they had to explore. This is not to leave out Tommy Lee Jones, who also puts in a strong performance. The film is centred around these three men and I find it fascinating that while it’s a single story that binds them all, their characters never meet. I was also presently surprised to see Woody Harrelson in the mix too.
Despite the film opening and closing with Anton Chigurh (Bardem) this somehow feels like the story of Llewelyn Moss (Brolin). Characters in great films like this have a complexity to them and Llewelyn is a great example. He is neither the good guy nor the bad guy. And may I mention what a great name too; Llewelyn! Whereas Chigurh is a straight up psychopath. This however doesn’t make him any less of an interesting character to explore but perhaps why I found myself wanting to see Moss succeed.
Unfortunately Moss was on borrowed time the moment he decided to take the money. I felt even more upset that as an audience we weren’t there to see what happened to him. The moment his life ended he became collateral, returning the story focus back onto Chigurh, and just another body in this tale. For everything that Moss endured and how far he made it, means nothing in the end.
And now can we talk about the ending – how good was that?! I love it when things are left unresolved. Maybe that’s not the best word to use as it wasn’t dissatisfaction that I felt, I just had more questions and would love to see what happens next.
Who was in the car that crashed into Chigurh and what was their fate? Where does Chigurh go next? We’ve seen that he knows how to patch himself up but how does he deal with a broken bone? Did he kill Carla Jean? Did he kill the accountant in the office building? Where is the end of the road for him? I’ll stop there but it’s so great to think about all these things! Can you feel my excitement as you read these words?!
For what it counts, my opinion is that he did kill Carla Jean based on the way he checked his shoes after leaving the house. As for the accountant in the office building whose Chigurh’s last words to him are “Do you see me?”, I’m a little torn. My first instinct is yes, because no matter the answer the accountant gives, he clearly has seen Chigurh. I think it might be a rhetorical question. On the other hand, we saw that he is fond of letting a coin toss decide the outcome. Perhaps he used this tactic in this situation? I think not….but I’m not sure!
I really enjoyed this film and there is so much to talk about but we don’t need to break it down scene by scene. If you’re still reading this I’m guessing that you’ve already seen the film and have your own opinion on whether you liked it or not.
Which brings us to an awkward position. As this is normally the part where I try to end on a witty line relating to the film and suggest who might enjoy it. If you’ve already seen in, perhaps it’s time for a re-watch? And here’s an idea for you, why not introduce a friend who was in a similar position to myself and ask them to join you for a movie night?
If you haven’t seen this film but read on anyway, I’ve really just covered the skim of the surface and I hope I have inspired you into watching it. Don’t add it to the watchlist, just watch it!