No Country For Old Men- Coen Brothers- 11/09

[LiddyRules]

NCFOM is opening tomorrow in limited release. It's the new Coen Brothers movie with Tommy Lee Jones. I haven't seen much advertisement for it so I wanted to ring people's bells.

[Jables2002]

I'm so looking forward to this, but have to wait until the 21st for the open. friday. wide.

I love Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Brothers. So it's a win-win.

[Budyzir]

It's been getting some good TV ad time here in NYC. Looks like a solid flick, I'll be checking it out.

[LiddyRules]

Saw it tonight and fuck. The first hour, hour and a half might be the most suspensed (word?) I've been in a long time. Javier Bardem is fucking insane.

[Flea_Man]

Looks fucking awesome. I can't wait to see it.

[dodisman]

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4858/creepvq8.jpg

[ruckstande]

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4858/creepvq8.jpg

He looks like the Indian From the MST3K episode The Pumaman.

[Simby19]

I went to see this the other night and Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem were there doing a Q & A thing afterwards. The guy asking questions was SUCH A FUCKING DOUCHE. Brolin and Bardem are obviously funny dudes who get along and were trying to basically be like "we're actors; stop taking this so seriously." Javier talked about how he can't do an American accent very well, so they had to rework the script a little bit so he could pronounce the words. He really played a creep fucking well. Oh and he looks a lot better without that ridiculous hair style. He said it was actually Tommy Lee Jones' idea and he had to look like a douche for 3 months. The movie was REALLY fantastic. It's one of those movies where you forget you're even watching a movie because that's how into it you get. I hope this flick does well.

[SOS]

I want to see this.

[ratedRsuperstar]

this has intrigued me since i saw the first tv spot. i read an article about it in the latest entertainment weekly and those elitist douches gave it a "A-", which is very high coming from them.

to me it almost looks like what "a history of violence" was missing but more gooder. sadly, i'll have to wait for the dvd as i am unable to venture off to the theater

[WonkaVision]

It finally got released in Houston Today..I am seeing it tonight. Can't fucking wait.

[atxklown]

prolly going to watch this and Southland Tales back to back and the local drafthouse theatre

[jrewing5]

Saw it last night...Great, great fucking movie...Javier Bardem Plays the best movie villian I've seen in years and the suspense is crazy awesome.
Ending left me a bit flat, but I got over it since the rest of the movie is so outstanding.

[WonkaVision]

Loved the movie, but must say the last 1/2 hour kind of dragged on. They could have cut all the Tommy lee Jones Scenes at the end,

[jagsfans]

Saw it last night...Great, great fucking movie...Javier Bardem Plays the best movie villian I've seen in years and the suspense is crazy awesome.
Ending left me a bit flat, but I got over it since the rest of the movie is so outstanding.

I couldnt have said it better myself. I have been hearing praise for Javier Bardem's performance for months and it met every unrealistic expectation I had built up in my mind. I don't know how much of the quick "Coen Bros" dialogue was added to the movie since I have'nt read the book but that was supurb. I'm soooo glad the Coen Bros are back, but the ending felt like there was a missing reel from the movie.

[dodisman]

Have seen it twice...I thought it was a brilliant movie...will annoy some of the audience who want the typical Hollywood BS which this isn't...will definately get a bunch of Oscar nods...Tommy Lee Jones might be at his best in this film and Bardem's performance was excellent as well...hell even Woody Harrelson's small role was great...all in all great acting and beautifully shot

[d0uche_n0zzle]

Amazing film. The realism is beyond anything out there, IMO. Can't wait for the DVD.

[mascan42]

Anybody who's disappointed by the ending: I think you'd have gotten the hint when Josh Brolin's character dies offscreen that the movie wasn't about what you thought it was about.

[distortion9]

Meh...I thought it would be better.

[jagsfans]

Anybody who's disappointed by the ending: I think you'd have gotten the hint when Josh Brolin's character dies offscreen that the movie wasn't about what you thought it was about.

Well, please PM me and tell me what the movie was really about, because that really disappointed me.

[Absolutely]

...will annoy some of the audience who want the typical Hollywood BS which this isn't...

That was my favorite part, the ending in which you could hear about 80% of the theatre give the "What the Fuuuuck?... Where's the money!?"

I loved the movie though, Javier Bardem was really really good. And I love Woody Harrelson doing just about anything. Josh Brolin was really great as well.

I was amazed at how well that dog swam in the river scene. His little doggy legs were motoring.
I went to the bathroom while the whole first office building scene started. I didn't understand how Newradio's Jimmy James was connected. I guess he was in on the drugs? And Woody was a stock trader by day, cowboy hunter by night? Did they discuss this?

[Sevenyars]

The movie was great. Me and my brother saw it. Now here is a dumb question.
Was Tommy Lee dead at the end. Those last two scenes with him were other worldly. Could he have been killed off screen in the motel room?

[jagsfans]

A mod should probably spoiler the above post # 22

[Absolutely]

The movie was great. Me and my brother saw it. Now here is a dumb question.
Was Tommy Lee dead at the end. Those last two scenes with him were other worldly. Could he have been killed off screen in the motel room?

Hmmm.
I didn't think TLJ was killed off-screen.
I don't want to come off as retarded either, I'm not good at analyzing movies...
I didn't quite get where Sugar was at the motel. They showed him hiding behind something right, I just assumed that he was in the other room next to the one that TLJ went in.

Then I assumed that TLJ dream meant that Sugar would end up finding him eventually.

But what do I know

[atxklown]

When I watched this after Southland Tales, now I've got two plots in my head with WTF thoughts.

[nikoloslvy]

well i watched it streaming online an i think it cut off near the end.someone pm me.i dont know how to use the spoiler thingy.

love how there is no suspense music.ive always thought you shouldn't need music to tell you how to feel.

(then again i was stoned watching seinfeld when this came to me.for some reason i couldn't hear the laugh track.seinfeld is a lot funnier/weirder/scarier/,much more gooder.like a crazy larry david on acid.oh the weird shit jerry gets into.holy cap what a great show without the laugh track.same with movies...dont tell me when to laugh cry or be scared.)

[UrsusHorribilis]

Major plot hole:

Put your self in Moss's place (Brolin). Why would you go back to give a drink of water to an already-probably-dying Mexican drug-running ganster when you have stolen $2M from his associates? Please.

But it is a great flick. More cattle gun!

[LiddyRules]

Major plot hole:

Put your self in Moss's place (Brolin). Why would you go back to give a drink of water to an already-probably-dying Mexican drug-running ganster when you have stolen $2M from his associates? Please. Because he wanted to do the right thing. Remember he said how what he was doing was incredibly stupid. That isn't a plothole.

love how there is no suspense music.ive always thought you shouldn't need music to tell you how to feel.
I didn't realize the lack of music until about halfway into the movie. I positively loved that.

[UrsusHorribilis]

I remember him saying that. I just didn't think someone could be so incredibly stupid.

If he was such a humanitarian, he woulda gone and got help for that Mexican instead of tracking down the moolah!

[erocks fat face]

i saw the movie last night and thought it was fantastic. i loved the lack of music until the credits hit.

[Absolutely]

I didn't even realize there was no music in the film.
I guess there wasn't...

[WhiteHonkyDevil]

Just got back from seeing it. I really don't know how to feel about it. I liked it, but the last half hour or so seemed to drag on forever.

I'm not even pissed or confused about the ending, I just was hoping it would come a lot sooner than it did.

Of course, I wanted to kill the Coens after sitting through Fargo, so what do I know?

[jagsfans]

Of course, I wanted to kill the Coens after sitting through Fargo, so what do I know?

If you didn't like Fargo then I don't know what else to tell ya. The Coen's are brilliant because they make great movies in different genres.

[JMCC]

Saw it on Saturday and I thought the movie was great. Well acted, great story, great atmosphere, great dialogue, just a flat out great movie

Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh is absolutely fantastic and man he is such a bad ass.

He really has me looking forward to him playing Pablo Escobar.

[askewcore]

He really has me looking forward to him playing Pablo Escobar.

Vinnie Chase?

[pike]

Goddamnit. I went to see this on Saturday night but got in to the theatre late. We walked in right as Moss walked up to the dead Mexican and walked away with his chrome pistol and sack o cash. What did I miss? :(

[Squat Toilet]

Very good movie. IMO not great.

[SuperGolfer]

I didn't even realize there was no music in the film.
I guess there wasn't...

I was almost at the end of the movie when I realized that there was no music of any kind. No score, not even background music.

When I left the theater I found myself actually almost hyper-aware of that background sound of being outside.

[DonTheTrucker]

Incredible movie. Best part was watching all of the hayseeds in the theater saying "what the fuck" at the end.

This may be blasphemy but I liked it better than Fargo.

[DeltaPin]

Finally saw this movie over the weekend. Great movie, I was so absorbed in it I didn't even realize there was no music.

Javier Bardem is one creepy bastard.

[maxeypad]

this was an EXCELLENT movie!!! i want that air gun weapon!

just watched Blood Simple(first coen movie) yesterday...first time i had seen that....reminded me a lot of no country....twas good

[marissaQ]

Coen Bros. Pizzeria
pizza supreme - The Big Lebowski
mushroom & pepperoni - No Country for Old Men
pizza with pieces of poop on it - Lady Killers

[nikoloslvy]

Coen Bros. Pizzeria
pizza supreme - The Big Lebowski
mushroom & pepperoni - No Country for Old Men
pizza with pieces of poop on it - Lady Killers
what?

[WoodenPlank]

Good, but damned strange movie. I didnt even notice the lack of music, either, until I read this thread.
First time in a movie Ive ever seen a suppressed SHOTGUN. That was almost as cool as the cattle killer.

[Dre]

what?

It's his way of showing he disliked "The Ladykillers" the most out of The Cohen Brothers films.

[roche]

I saw it tonight. This is the first movie I have ever seen that actually made me stand up and say, "Oh, no. Fuck you. Thats it?"

I love the Cohn brothers but that that ending sucked ass.

Maybe I need to see it a second time or something........

[Dre]

I saw it tonight. This is the first movie I have ever seen that actually made me stand up and say, "Oh, no. Fuck you. Thats it?"

I love the Cohn brothers but that that ending sucked ass.

Maybe I need to see it a second time or something........

They weren't really going for a "Hollywood ending" when they made "No Country for Old Men", and the book doesn't present a Hollywood ending either. It's more an ending you kind of have to dissect and figure out on your own, that's why, (albeit an amazing film, and my favorite of the year), it was just critically acclaimed and not at the top of the box office and in every theater in America.

[blackout-]

just saw it... 3/4 of a great movie with a boring stupid ending. i don't care if we get a good or bad ending but they didn't give any ending at all... stupid.

[WhiskeyWhispers]

This movie gets my nod as Best Picture , and it would be a crime if Javier Bardem doesn't win every award out there.

For all the people who hated the ending, you have to realize that the movie is faithful to the book.
On the surface, it may seem like a straightforward crime thriller, and I can understand how the end would rub you the wrong way, but the movie is really like a parable on life and death and fate, and a nihilistic one at that.

Some dude on imdb.com pretty much nails it, and this may help put the movie in perspective for you:

***************Major Spoilers**************


My thoughts on the film (feel free to disagree)...

Also, I think I got all of the facts right, but it's possible that I didn't (I'm writing most of this from memory)... Please feel free to correct me, so that I can change my post.

The movie is about fate, purpose and the meaning of life (…and if there is meaning). But mostly, it's a movie about change; it's about coming to terms with change and death.

Tommy Lee Jone's character Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is an older man looking back on his life and the world and realizing that it's not the same place that it used to be. He is confused by the world. It is a place that he no longer recognizes. This is where the title "No Country for Old Men" comes from. The film is, partially, about Bell coming to terms with the fact that he can't change the world and that he must accept the things the way they are.

There are references to these things a few times in the film. In the scene where Sheriff Bell talks with another sheriff (from the town where Llewellyn was killed) they actually discuss these things point blank. Remember they have a humorous discussion about how they can't understand youth (with their nose rings, and what not)? The other sheriff refers to this change as the "dismal tide". The scene with the wheel-chair bound Ellis is telling, as well. Ellis tells Bell, after Bell discusses his feelings about getting older, "Watcha got ain't nothin' new. This country's hard on people. You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waitin' on you. That's vanity". Ellis is referring to change; the world isn't waiting on Sheriff Bell's actions in order to change. Earlier, Ellis also says another interesting line; "All the time you spent trying to get back what's been took from you, more's been going out the door".

Ellis, as well as this film, also talks about the inevitability of death, life's only certainty. Ellis talks about this when he relates the story about Uncle Mac being shot by a posse. In the story, Uncle Mac knew he was going to die, "even if Aunt Ellen didn't". (more on this later)

This brings us to Javier Bardem's character Anton Chigurh. Anton Chigurh is the physical embodiment of violence, as Javier has said in interviews. However, you could also say that Chigurh is the physical embodiment of fate/change (the whole coin thing) or death, as well. Chigurh is almost (as Sheriff Bell once describes him) ghost-like or mythical, unreal. He is made more so by how he is written into the story. When we first meet him, he is already in the middle of his own story. And, when we leave him, it is also in the middle of his story (we don't know his ending, we assume he just goes on his way, killing more people). So, we meet him in the middle of his murderous path, and we leave him on this same path (thus his story is in constantly in the middle… there is no beginning or end to it). This can be related to the idea of change (an idea found, especially, in Eastern philosophy). Change is in constant flow. Chigurh is a force.

Everyone in this movie, in one way or another, tries to interfere with the natural flow of change/fate. Everyone tries to interfere with fate, but they all come to the same end anyway (even Chigurh… but I'll get to that in a minute). That end is death. Death is the only certainty. Llewellyn tries to fight back and he does a pretty good job against the seemingly unstoppable Chigurh, but gets killed anyway. Even if he wasn't killed by Anton, he's still dead. It doesn't matter if Chigurh killed him or not. He was killed. That's the point. Carla Jean Moss (Llewellyn's wife) is indifferent to her fate (she chooses not to pick a side of the coin), but she meets the same end. She was killed. Carla's mother has cancer. Even though she might fight the cancer, she eventually dies, as well. She was killed.

Now, Sherrif Ed Tom Bell is a special case. He avoids immediate death by leaving the force. We are to assume that Bell would have been killed in the line of duty, just like his father and grandfather were, had he stayed on. But, at the end of the film, Bell realizes (and this is what is meant by the recounting his dreams) that he will eventually die. It doesn't matter when. He will eventually die. Remember when Bell asked Ellis when his Uncle Mac died? This relates to that. It didn't matter that his Uncle Mac didn't die right away, he was buried the next day just the same. So, at the end of the film, Bell realizes, in the form of his dream, that it doesn't matter if he dies right away (in the line of duty) or later as an old man. He will eventually die anyway. His dad will still be there waiting for him, with a lit fire, either way. It doesn't matter how he dies, it just matters that he will eventually die.

Okay, so Anton Chigurh… Even Anton Chigurh will eventually die and he comes to this revelation at the end of the film. Chigurh considers himself, like the coin, to be an agent of fate. He takes fate into his own hands by killing Carla. But, not even Chigurh is immune to the "dismal tide" of change. That's what the car crash represents. This is why he is so shocked by the crash. Chigurh will eventually die.

This film asks some big questions. One of the film's main questions is: Does life have meaning? Chigurh brings up this question when he asks this question of one of his victims (my favorite line in the film) "If the road you followed brought you to this, of what use was the road?". This question is also discussed in the end by Sheriff Ed Tom Bell's recounting of his dreams and with his conversation with Ellis (again the line: "You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waitin' on you. That's vanity").

My favorite thing about this film, is that it isn't dumbed down for the audience. For example, the Coen brothers never implicitly show Chigurh getting the money from the hotel room or killing Carla Jean Moss. Both of these things are implied (Chigurh has opened the vent/has money at the end, and Chigurh checking his shoes for blood). And again, the fact that this movie has no score, yet maintains the emotional levels that it does, is just amazing.

[FattyPneumonia]

This movie gets my nod as Best Picture , and it would be a crime if Javier Bardem doesn't win every award out there.

For all the people who hated the ending, you have to realize that the movie is faithful to the book.
On the surface, it may seem like a straightforward crime thriller, and I can understand how the end would rub you the wrong way, but the movie is really like a parable on life and death and fate, and a nihilistic one at that.

Some dude on imdb.com pretty much nails it, and this may help put the movie in perspective for you:

***************Major Spoilers**************


That guy does a great job of summing up th movie. I agree with just about all he said. I truly enjoyed the movie, and do not need it to be wrapped up in a little bow at the end. The way it was shot and acted was really cool, blus Anton was a major bad ass.

[maxeypad]

man everyone hates the ending...i liked the ending...it wasnt a typical ending...which made it awesome...and that suppressed Shotgun SLAYS

[TheJew]

yeah just got back from it...


what the fuck happened the last 20 mins?

[Sack of Chisels]

yeah just got back from it...


what the fuck happened the last 20 mins?

Many people are put off by the focus shifting to the sheriff at the end. I don't think this was a trick exactly. The movie was constantly shifting between characters. After the opening narration, I felt it was only natural to have the film bookended by Tommy Lee Jones. All the other stuff was just the road we took to get to the themes about life, death, justice, etc. It should be realized that there isn't a rule to telling a story. There are just ways most people are used to.

the ending itself is a sort of coda to the moral already placed before the audience within the earlier 15-20 minutes of the film. Which, in a nutshell is to never stop living your life because of the inevitable and unstoppable evils and aspects that surround daily life, and to know that not all of it can ever be stop as a whole. Ed Tom basically knew this so he quit his job as sheriff, pointing toward the meaning of the title of the film itself. You can even see it when he and the other, fatter officer are talking as its the "Dismal tide" with "Green hair and bones in their noses" like that is ANYTHING in modern times, then Ed Tom goes to visit his uncle, who tells his story and arrives at the moral of the film stated earlier, its been looked upon as a somewhat Hopeless or dissapointing ending, as if it says there is no hope or why do anything i cant stop it, when really the ending is trying to say, live your life, do what you can do to make a difference and an impact, but also be aware of the grimmer aspects that life can deliver like an air gun to the head, and be ready.

The point of the ending is that life is not like the movies. Violence is indiscriminating, and the good guys (Brolin, T.Lee Jones, Woody) don't always come to the rescue. Neither does Fate (the car crash). Violence just keeps perpetuating, unstopped. There are no sherrifs to drive away the bad guys, anymore. This country is not for old men.

[patbattlefield]

yeah just got back from it...


what the fuck happened the last 20 mins?

the wheels fell off and rolled over the plot.

[patbattlefield]

The point of the ending is that life is not like the movies. Violence is indiscriminating, and the good guys (Brolin, T.Lee Jones, Woody) don't always come to the rescue. Neither does Fate (the car crash). Violence just keeps perpetuating, unstopped. There are no sherrifs to drive away the bad guys, anymore. This country is not for old men.


I got to the movies to escape real life not to be reminded of it. It was a good from an artistic standpoint I guess but its annoying as fuck if you just want to sit down and enjoy a nice movie and unwind and not be fucked with mentally.

[LiddyRules]

I got to the movies to escape real life not to be reminded of it. It was a good from an artistic standpoint I guess but its annoying as fuck if you just want to sit down and enjoy a nice movie and unwind and not be fucked with mentally. But I don't want to see a Coen Brothers movie for simple mindless entertainment. Not all movies are like that, why would you expect a movie from legit film artists like the Coens to be like that? There's plenty of simple movies out there, I am glad they make movies with depth and complexity.

[blee]

Just finished watching it and it was fucking awesome. I like how it ends with mindless bullshit at the end. Wish I saw it in a theater so I could hear everyone bitch about it after it ended.

[Plunkies]

No ending = Artistic.

When the fuck did this happen? Another movie to piss off 90% of the people and make the other 10% feel good about being too cool for the room. I refuse to fall in with either group. I feel about the movie the way movie made me feel..."Who gives a shit?"

[South Jersey]

Horrible ending. Maybe a carefully crafted sequel can give this some credibility. Javier Bardem for best actor IMO.

[DonTheTrucker]

No ending = Artistic.

When the fuck did this happen? Another movie to piss off 90% of the people and make the other 10% feel good about being too cool for the room. I refuse to fall in with either group. I feel about the movie the way movie made me feel..."Who gives a shit?"

There IS an ending, it's just not the same old "good guy gets away with the money" ending. You're so used to watching Michael Bay movies that the lack of a big explosion and the guy kissing his main girl in front of said explosion automatically equals "no ending."

Horrible ending. Maybe a carefully crafted sequel can give this some credibility.

The second sentence in this shows just why the first sentence is based in bad taste. Aside from the Godfather, sequels suck.

[Plunkies]

There IS an ending, it's just not the same old "good guy gets away with the money" ending. You're so used to watching Michael Bay movies that the lack of a big explosion and the guy kissing his main girl in front of said explosion automatically equals "no ending."

Ugh. Thanks for proving my point. So I'm some unsophisticated douche because I thought the movie was meh? The lack of an ending gives the movie the illusion of being deep, and anything deep can't be criticized because the person having a problem with it "doesn't get it." Get the fuck out of here with that typical emperor has no clothes horseshit. Just because a movie unceremoniously peters out does not make it the greatest artistic masterpiece known to mankind. You so desperately want to be the guy that "gets it" that you feel the need to bash me? It's easy to accuse others of having no taste, it's more difficult to actually explain how the movie is good on its own merits. Maybe you were too busy patting yourself on the back by not being like the "hayseeds in the theater" to actually form your own opinion?

Here's another one just like you...

Just finished watching it and it was fucking awesome. I like how it ends with mindless bullshit at the end. Wish I saw it in a theater so I could hear everyone bitch about it after it ended.

He FUCKING DESCRIBES IT as "mindless bullshit" and then goes on to say it's great because other people didn't like it. I can completely understand someone liking the movie, what annoys the fuck out of me is people not even understanding WHY they like the movie. They only say they like it because they think it's the cool thing to say.

[DonTheTrucker]

Maybe you were too busy patting yourself on the back by not being like the "hayseeds in the theater" to actually form your own opinion?

First off, I'm not bashing anyone at all. I tend to enjoy a movies that are a little smarter than average, but for the most part I really don't "get" a lot of the art movie type films. I won't be going to see Sweeny Todd, that's for sure.

It's fine if you think the movie petered out, I can understand how some people will see it that way, I just think it's because we've been accustomed to expecting things settled at the end of a movie. And I think this movie does give you everything you need, it just does so in a way we're not used to seeing.

Is it the best movie I've ever seen? Not by a long shot. Best that I saw in 2007? Yeah probably, though I do admit I didn't get to see a lot of movies this past year.

Just so you understand "WHY" I liked this movie, I'll detail it out for you:

1. Dialogue is great
2. Good action scenes without being over the top
3. The movie is suspenseful to the point of being uncomfortable
4. The bad guy is really fucking creepy

[coolyellowbus]

Ugh. Thanks for proving my point. So I'm some unsophisticated douche because I thought the movie was meh? The lack of an ending gives the movie the illusion of being deep, and anything deep can't be criticized because the person having a problem with it "doesn't get it." Get the fuck out of here with that typical emperor has no clothes horseshit. Just because a movie unceremoniously peters out does not make it the greatest artistic masterpiece known to mankind. You so desperately want to be the guy that "gets it" that you feel the need to bash me? It's easy to accuse others of having no taste, it's more difficult to actually explain how the movie is good on its own merits. Maybe you were too busy patting yourself on the back by not being like the "hayseeds in the theater" to actually form your own opinion?


He FUCKING DESCRIBES IT as "mindless bullshit" and then goes on to say it's great because other people didn't like it. I can completely understand someone liking the movie, what annoys the fuck out of me is people not even understanding WHY they like the movie. They only say they like it because they think it's the cool thing to say.

dude the movie just wasn't for you. You would have probably been better off seeing National treasure. Don't get in a huff either. I didn't mean it as a knock to you or anything it just seems thats more your style of movie. Most critically acclaimed movies aren't going to appeal to the masses. I mean you'll never here a critic say "that movie die hard... wow, it really made you think"


some of us just appreciate a movie, or a tv show or a book that goes above and beyond the cookie cutter story line.

life never has a happy ending and the bad guy doesn't always get caught.

[bucket-of-aids]

Decent movie, worth the money; nothing to cum in your pants about, IMO. Great villain of course.

I thought, pound for pound, "American Gangster" was much better. That had me walking out of the theater saying "damn!". Not this one.

[bucket-of-aids]

Did anyone, while watching this, hear Jim Norton in the back of your head smashing Anton's hair? ("It fucking bugs me!")

[Plunkies]

First off, I'm not bashing anyone at all. I tend to enjoy a movies that are a little smarter than average, but for the most part I really don't "get" a lot of the art movie type films. I won't be going to see Sweeny Todd, that's for sure.

Bullshit. You directly attacked my tastes for forming my own opinion about the movie. Trust me, I'm way more picky than you and I will indeed be seeing Sweeney Todd. Since you want to talk down to me about it...I already know my taste in movies is far more sophisticated than yours. How do I know this? Because I can take a movie like No Country for Old Men and actually criticize it. This is the movie people like you think they're supposed to like. You saw that ending and immediately thought that you were supposed to "get it" and then you act like you're in on something all the other hayseeds aren't because you're so smart.

It's fine if you think the movie petered out, I can understand how some people will see it that way, I just think it's because we've been accustomed to expecting things settled at the end of a movie. And I think this movie does give you everything you need, it just does so in a way we're not used to seeing.It does give you everything you need, but you certainly don't think that. If you did you'd be able to explain why the ending was good instead of what you're about to do in the next quote.

My problem with the ending in particular is that I was focused on the characters (Maybe wrongly, but I didn't know much about the movie going into it). The movie abruptly yanked focus from them and tried to teach me a lesson I already knew, which annoyed me.


Just so you understand "WHY" I liked this movie, I'll detail it out for you:

1. Dialogue is great
2. Good action scenes without being over the top
3. The movie is suspenseful to the point of being uncomfortable
4. The bad guy is really fucking creepyI completely agree with all of that. The movie was perfect on a lot of levels. The tension, the sound, the camera work, it was all amazing. But that's not the point is it? I'm asking you to explain how the ending specifically ADDS to the movie. None of that even has anything to do with the story itself. What is it about the ending that made you enjoy it?



dude the movie just wasn't for you. You would have probably been better off seeing National treasure. Don't get in a huff either. I didn't mean it as a knock to you or anything it just seems thats more your style of movie. Most critically acclaimed movies aren't going to appeal to the masses. I mean you'll never here a critic say "that movie die hard... wow, it really made you think"

some of us just appreciate a movie, or a tv show or a book that goes above and beyond the cookie cutter story line.

So fucking frustrating. You literally can't defend this movie without attacking a person's taste. You don't know what I like. The fact is I'm an elitist douche that only likes the most obscure shit, and can't fully enjoy anything that's popular. I constantly bash mainstream movies and I haven't turned on a television for years.

In fact, this type of movie was right up my alley, and I genuinely liked it for the most part. I may have some gripes with it but my main fucking issue isn't with the movie itself but phony mother fuckers like you. I see people bullshitting and I can't help but call them on it.

Oh you appreciate the movie? Good for you smart guy. Tell me what it is that makes you appreciate it instead of attacking me.

life never has a happy ending and the bad guy doesn't always get caught.Ah the life thing. That is usually the "go to" argument for these. But I wasn't asking for a happy ending and I generally root for the bad guy. It's not a happy ending I wanted, merely an ending.

You can say life never has an ending but what does that mean? A movie isn't life, a movie is a story. Telling a story that goes no where is considered a bad story. In some cases the lack of an ending can add to the story in order to make a point, which may very well have been the reason behind Old Men's ending, but personally I think it fell flat. The lack of an ending only drained the already small emotional attachment I had to any of the characters and left me in a "Who gives a shit?" attitude. I could probably go back and watch this movie for what it is and enjoy it a lot more, but people like you make me want to hate it purely out of spite.

[burky79]

Just watched it Thursday.

Great... quality and solid movie.

Will watch again this weekend.

Great characters... all memorable in one way or another.

[EarthCrisis]

got a sag copy of the dvd.

Watched it, here's what i thought

[Mindslayer]

I watched a great bootleg of it tonight. I thought it was good but not great, wasnt crazy about the ending but I wasnt as vehement about as many other people seem to be. Personally I think it should have ended after the killer (cant remember his name) stumbled off after the accident.

[maxeypad]

such an awesome movie....especially in the theater...can't wait to watch it again, and again

[Sam_Adams]

So, today is the day. It comes out on DVD and Blu-ray.

I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm excited about it coming out on Blu-ray so I can watch it in glorious HD for the first time. I love their films and I know this will be fucking badass. I will pick it up after work.

I just wish that movies would come out to stores sooner than they usually do. They should come out two/three months after theaters. I don't like waiting 6+ months for most. A lot now are out like four months which is better.

I just can't be bothered with the fucking theaters.

[maxeypad]

i can tolerate theaters if it's a good enough movie.....

[Chester'sLiver]

Watched it on Blu-Ray last night..It was fantastic..

[Ant's_rapier]

I watched it this morning. Tommy Lee Jones played the Texas rural sheriff to a T.

[SuperGolfer]

Saw it in the theater, picked up my dvd last night.

To be watched in the immediate future.

[Sam_Adams]

Watched it on Blu-Ray last night..It was fantastic..

You just have to love that Blu-ray. The fucking clarity is just wonderful and makes even the shittiest movies fun to watch

[mascan42]

I finally picked up the DVD yesterday, and something has me a bit confused. In the sequence where Moss is in the Del Rio motel, the geography doesn't make a lot of sense.


Moss checks into his first room and puts the case in the air vent, pushed off to the left.
Moss comes back later, sees someone else has checked into a nearby room (presumably the Mexicans, who have beaten Chigurh to the money, but oddly don't seem to have made a move to collect it), and leaves to spend the night at another motel and plan his next move.
The next day, Moss comes back to the Del Rio motel and checks into a second room - NOT the room right next door to his first one.
Moss retrieves the case from the air vent of his new room, where he sees the case off to his right.

So where are the Mexicans and Moss in relation to his orginal room? This doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense to me, and it seems like the two shots of the motel map should have made it clearer.

[Plunkies]

I thought the mexicans were in Moss' room waiting for him to come back. Chigurh takes the room next door, and Moss takes the room behind the original. Chirgurh only took a room to figure out the layout of the one he was going to clear. At least that's how I remember it.

[silentbob8201]

Just rented it this week, annnnnnnnnnd it could of used a death scene for Brolin's character thats my only complaint.

[boardsofcanada]

movie was easily one of the best movies in a long time. Wouldn't expect less from the coen brothers.

and the ending wasn't as unexpected and WTF worthy as everyone says.

[mascan42]

I thought the mexicans were in Moss' room waiting for him to come back. Chigurh takes the room next door, and Moss takes the room behind the original. Chirgurh only took a room to figure out the layout of the one he was going to clear. At least that's how I remember it.
Just watched the scene again, and I guess that must be it. I never figured the Mexicans were in Moss' original room, because they'd been there the whole night and hadn't worked out where the money was.

[Stormrider666]

movie was easily one of the best movies in a long time. Wouldn't expect less from the coen brothers.

and the ending wasn't as unexpected and WTF worthy as everyone says.

I just watched the movie this afternoon. The ending was kind of ruined for me, because I accidentally read the FU Cohen Brothers thread. I thought the movie was good. However, I think I got caught up in the hype of the movie. I was expecting alot more. I will say this though Javier Bardem, deserved that Oscar.

[Eagle.007]

I just watched both No Country and The Usual Suspects for the first time on Saturday. Even though I knew the twist ahead of time, The Usual Suspects was much better.

I didn't even realize No Country was a period piece for a long time because those were the vehicles I associate with modern day west Texas.

[Atomic Fireball]

1st clue was when he pulled a tab off his beer circa 1975. Then when Josh Brolin - maybe 30 yo - was identified as a viet nam vet it made th time frame clear

[Sam_Adams]

I didn't even realize No Country was a period piece for a long time because those were the vehicles I associate with modern day west Texas.

x2. I hadn't heard that it was a time piece and I was just watching it like it was current times.

When he pulled the tab off of his beer I thought "that's weird, they don't make tabbed beer anymore," and I didn't realize it was set around 1980 until they actually started driving around more populated areas where I saw al of the other cars because it's not out of the norm for people to drive those old '80s model trucks down here in the South and their clothes are always crappy looking from the western shops :P

[crippledalbino]

I saw the movie this weekend for the first time too, and the ending didn't bother me at all. The movie isn't called 'bad ass with bad hair kills people.'
It's called 'no country for old men' about the changing time for an old sheriff who is trying to remain relevant when the shit is hitting the fan and spinning out of his control. It's the SHERIFF's story, not even Josh Brolin's or Emo Phillips Hispanic Man, even.

So as the movie settles in with me, I like it. And I like the ending.
There you go. Two cents' worth.