And while the movie’s ambiguity is different from the hazy moral dilemmas common in contemporary crime thrillers and neo-noirs, its themes are easier to understand when viewed in the context of the Coen brothers’ preexisting body of work. In fact, the movie shares many motifs with their previous films, including money and a chase/hunt for it, dry humor, irony of circumstance, and a somewhat fatalistic perspective of the world and its occurrences. However, the Coens are able to build on their reputation with No Country for Old Men, as the film represents both a progression in the development of these artistic motifs and a notable contemporary film
The Movie
The film revolves around the quests of three characters (which are interwoven in various degrees and often in opposition), as they operate in the small towns and rural areas of the Texas-Mexico border area of 1980. The first of these focal characters is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a dangerous felon and bounty hunter hired to find two million dollars of missing drug money. The second is Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a local sheriff perplexed by the increasing violence in the area and enlisted to help with one final case before his retirement. As it turns out, that case is the hunt for Chigurh, establishing the first game of cat-and-mouse as Bell begins tracking Chigurh after he escapes from local law enforcement officials.
The third focal character is Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), an ordinary citizen who stumbles across a “drug deal gone bad” while hunting pronghorn and, after a little exploration, also finds the missing two million dollars that Chigurh has been hired to find. Naturally, a second game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Chigurh sees Moss fleeing the scene and begins tracking him.
Bell soon realizes that the two cases (the hunt for Chigurh and the drug deal gone bad) are related and also discovers that Moss has found the drug money and fled his home, initiating a third cat-and-mouse chase, with Bell trying to find and protect Moss before Chigurh can hunt him down.
And, finally, when Moss realizes that he will not be able to outrun Chigurh, he adopts a more aggressive philosophy and actually begins hunting Chigurh in an attempt to kill his pursuer before being killed himself.
In addition, there are also some secondary players who are involved in various aspects of the hunts, further contributing to the already complicated scenarios of hunters and hunted.
As intricate as the story may seem, the action plays out intentionally slowly, leaving plenty of time for character development, which is emphasized just as much, and perhaps more so, as the action. Although there is an appropriate amount of action for a thriller, much of the action is cerebral and suspense-related as opposed to in-your-face fights or chases. The former certainly suits both the deliberate tone of the movie and the detailed character development much better than the latter would.
More than the action, though, the characters really drive the movie and even provide some of its themes. Bell is the pure but tired enforcer of justice; Moss is the anti-hero, a common man desperately caught in a conflict between forces greater than him and beyond his control; and Chigurh is a brutal but moral manifestation of fate. This implies that his morals are not dictated by traditional ethics, but he, ironically, nonetheless strictly adheres to a moral code, albeit an unconventional one. These characters are not only well developed from a filmic perspective, but they and the events that befall them are an interesting philosophical commentary on the movie’s themes of fate and the human condition.
The acting is also appropriately compelling, with a cast of lesser-known and infrequently used actors filling lead roles effectively. Although his character is similar to his usual roles as an experienced but haggard force of justice, Jones proves he still possesses great skill and provides a valuable asset. Brolin delivers a believably desperate performance, aptly conveying the emotions of man backed into a corner by forces greater than him. However, it is Bardem’s performance that stands out, and it is one that certainly merits the Academy Award he received for the role. He is equally ominous and calm, embodying the eerie persona of a harbinger of death determinedly set upon a goal but fully aware that he is destined for an efficient realization of success.
In addition to the suspenseful plot and intricate characters, the cinematography further contributes to the thought-provoking themes of the film. The isolated and harsh surroundings of rural, early-1980s era Texas/Mexico add to the somewhat hopeless themes of inevitability and fate, while the dark and faded colors help establish the ominous tone of the film.
Special Features
The Coens must have been satisfied with the main feature, because the special features do not include any deleted scenes, which is understandable considering the careful precision of the movie, but unusual nonetheless. As such, the special features don’t contain any extraordinary footage, certainly not anything nearly as good as the movie itself.
The making-of feature is about as comprehensive as any I’ve seen, covering everything from the characters and actors, to the landscape and costumes, to the special effects and the motif of violence, to the Coens’ style. Unless you’re particularly interested in the production aspects of the film, though, this feature isn’t necessary for a thorough appreciation of the film, as most discussion of the story only reveals motifs and themes that are already accessible to viewers through the movie.
A little more about the Coens is included in ‘Working with the Coens’, but this focuses primarily on the Coens’ as a directing team rather than on their vision for the film. The ‘Diary of a County Sheriff’ feature, however, does highlight some of the story content, delving into the mind of Sheriff Bell and discussing the motifs of changing times, senseless violence, and a new type of criminal that can’t be understood.
Presentation
Unfortunately, the DVD setup isn’t as carefully crafted as the movie. While the ominous Western music aptly establishes the tone of the film, there are no transitions among the various menus and moving video only appears on the main menu. Although the menus aren’t extraordinarily inspired, there is one particularly poignant moment created by a very clever unison between the video and the music.
Overall
No Country for Old Men may initially seem confusing and overly ambiguous, and although it is frustrating that some aspects of the story are intentionally unclear, all aspects of the movie seem to support the overarching themes of the movie. Realization of these themes will not necessarily satisfy the viewer, though, as the Coens continue to develop themes common to their work like the irony of circumstance and the inevitability of fate.
And while the moral implications of the movie may not appeal to traditional ethical sensibilities, the movie’s story and characters are too intricately developed to be ignored. No Country for Old Men is an unconventional film, but the Coens succeed magnificently and are rewarded for their ambitions, producing a remarkable movie with an exciting story, intricate characters, and powerful philosophical themes.