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The MacGuffins are proud to select, with the 184st pick in the 7th round, for entry in the Thriller category:

No Country For Old Men

I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, "OK, I'll be part of this world."



IMO, this is the best film of the decade. I saw it 4 times in its first two weeks in the theatres, mainly because it kept calling me back, urging me to dismantle it and piece it back together. I found that it could be appreciated on so many levels, and that every time I saw it I could focus on something different and explore that area of the film. The more I put in the more I got out, and for that reason alone, this is one of my desert island picks. So few films approach viewers in this manner- for all the bloodshed and cat-and-mouse action there is so much subtext lurking there for active viewers that I simply cannot wait to see the film again every time I think about it.

With that said, I'm going to take a different approach to this writeup and simply list in point form things I liked about the film, or reasons why I think it's such a work of art. Maybe even some explanations and analysis also. Might be a little easier to digest that way, and I have a feeling it would be pages long otherwise. Some spoilers abound. Beware.

• There is almost no music in the film. The lack of a score to accompany the action onscreen seems to heighten the tension in many scenes, and contributes to the lonely, alienating atmosphere throughout the film.
• With no music, there is an extraordinary emphasis placed on the sound design, which is incredible. Consider the scene where Chigurh is tracking the briefcase to the motel where Moss is hiding out- the viewers are almost made hyper-aware of the beeping of the tracking device. A beeping that has never sounded so ominous.
• The film is not about a psycho killer and his attempt to track down a fugitive. And it is not about that man on the run and his attempts to shed those in pursuit of him. Mistakenly, so many people dissatisfied with this film have focused their energy on those two characters, whose character arcs seem rather unfulfilled if that's the approach chosen. NCFOM is much more than that. Read on.
• Chigurh represents an unstoppable evil; a force that cannot be restrained. Nothing, not even a compund fracture, will slow him down. Sheriff Bell, over the course of the film, realizes this, and decides that it's best for an old man to simply turn his back on that evil and let it run its course. Let the young whippersnappers try to tame it. Like his father's former colleague says to him: “What you got ain’t new. Can’t stop what’s coming. Ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.”
• In choosing to not show the (presumably) climactic scene where Moss is gunned down, the Coens further illustrate that Moss's fate is essentially meaningless to the story, and that the briefcase full of money is nothing more than a MacGuffin. They are not interested in the outcome of that storyline, but rather in the motivations of the characters and what that might represent.
• All that said, the film is deliberately left somewhat open-ended and eager for personal interpretation. Like I said above, it rewards an active viewing experience, and there are no right or wrong "readings" of the film.
• The cinematography sets a new standard IMO. Desolate, empty landscapes have never looked this beautiful. So many breathtaking shots- the lifeless boot under the shade tree, the dog chase in the canyon, the empty street at night during the shotgun blast sequence between Chigurh and Moss.
• Even though the chase sequences and "tracking down the fugitives" aspect of the film aren't especially important in relation to the themes suggested, they are so well constructed and thrilling they are worthy of distinction.
• Chigurh's very name (what kind of word is that? It's more of a "sound" or combination of letters), the manner in which he kills his victims (the cold efficiency of the cattle gun), his wacky haircut, accent, and dress, and his penchant for tossing coins all symbolize what his character stands for perectly- fate is unstoppable, unconventional, unpredictable. And that is exactly what he represents.
• Sheriff Ed Tom is playing catch up the whole picture. Some have argues that if the movie is supposed to be best absorbed from his point of view, that he didn't have enough screen time and character development for that to have any resonance. I disagree. He's a step behind the entire way, and is given just enough screen time to show that. His lengthy scenes come towards the end of the picture when he's trying to make sense of it all and concludes that his time has passed.
• While some will view that ending as nihilistic and depressing, one could argue that it's uplifting and full of self-realization. Evil and the destruction that comes along with it has always been around, so when Bell makes the decision to turn his back and wave the white flag, one presumes he will be able to turn his attnetion to his wife and ranch after a lifetime of servitude to society that went pretty much unnoticed. Perhaps he'll find happiness there.
• Another way to interpret the ending is that Ed Tom, when explaining his dreams in the film's final scene, describes his father (who Ed Tom has outlived by 20 years, and is thus a "younger"man) marching on ahead in the cold and darkness to prepare a fire. That could symbolize that regardless of all the evil in the world, if you're not able to imagine forging ahead in the face of the bleak future and lighting a fire, what have you got? Even when you "wake up?"
• What happened in the motel scene at the end where Ed Tom approaches the scene of the crime and Chigurh appears to be inside? Was Chigurh really in there? Was it all in Ed Tom's head? Did Chigurh escape into the shadows? Again, by not fully fleshing this out and forcing the viewer to determine what happened, the Coens have made a brave choice, and one that I applaud. It only reinforces Chigurh's presence as a "ghostly" figure, and one that cannot be restrained. That was, in many ways, Ed Tom's moment of clarity, his "coin toss" with Chigurh, and he's packing it in.
• The Coens have a knack for startling images, and for presenting them in eye-popping ways. Consider the camera slowly panning over the scuff marks at the first movie scene, or the way a second truck appears at the top of the hillcrest while Moss is back investigating the carnage below. Or the deliberate manner in which Chigurh checks the soles of his shoes, or the beads of condensation on the milk bottle. All carefully manipulated pieces of filmmaking of the highest artistic merit.
• Bardem's performance is legendary. Really not a lot else to say about it.
• Whether you approach this film stylistically or symbolically doesn't matter. Both form and content are exceptional. It is, however, the intertwining of these factions that lifts the film to stratospheric heights- so few films achieve this that it's a privilege to find one that is enhanced when style and content are mixed together into something completely different, and not just meant to be appreciated separately.
• The scene pictured below. Maybe my favorite movie scene of all time. The dialogue is pitch perfect, the performances just the same, and the tension is bursting at the seams. I love it!