The film “No Country for Old Men,” directed by the Coen brothers, is a gripping portrayal of violence, fate and the changing nature of the world.
This 2007 Western crime thriller is based on Cormac Mcarthy’s 2005 novel, “No Country for Old Men.” In the movie, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and more importantly, $2.4 million in a suitcase. Unfortunately, his luck soon dries out when a hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), starts hunting him down. The cat-and-mouse game between Llewelyn and Anton, with Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) trailing behind, is suspenseful for the entire 122 minutes. Anton Chigurh’s presence on screen is an almost-certain death sentence for the other characters in the scene. Still, the suspense leaves you wondering who will survive and who won’t.
The very first time the audience is introduced to Chigurh is when he murders a cop in broad daylight at the police station. After this, he uses his weapon of choice – a captive bolt gun – to kill a man and steal his car. These scenes give a look at just how dangerous Chigurh is. He shows complete disregard for his victims, treating them as if they are cattle to be slaughtered. Chigurh leaves his victims’ fate up to chance, and besides the lucky few, most of the characters Chigurh interacts with end up dead.
In one instance, Chigurh leaves his victim’s fate up to a coin toss. The man is lucky enough to call heads, and unknowingly to the man, his life is spared. When Chigurh goes to uphold his end of the deal (to kill Carla Jean if Llewelyn doesn’t hold up his end of the deal), Carla says that the coin toss doesn’t matter. Regardless of the coin toss, the victim’s lives are ultimately still in the hands of Chigurh. However, in his mind, the coin toss determines his victims’ fate, and the decision is not in his hands. Through this mindset, Chigurh justifies his job as a hitman because he feels death is the natural fate for his victims.
At first glance, it may seem odd that this Western film does not end with a shootout but rather a slow monologue delivered by Sheriff Bell. The film shows Bell eating breakfast with his wife after he retired. His wife asks about his dreams, and he responds that he had two, both including his father.
The first is of him meeting his father in town and receiving money from him, then later losing it. Sheriff Bell recalls calmly telling his father, “I think I lost it.”
Bell’s calm demeanor after losing the money in his dream shows the difference between him and Moss and Chigurh. Both Moss and Chigurh were after money. Moss ended up dead and Chigurh ended up with a broken arm after a car accident. On the other hand, Sheriff Bell, who was not greedily chasing money, retired and peacefully lived the rest of his life. Bell talks about the simpler times when his father, grandfather and many other sheriffs before him never wore a gun. Bell is not equipped for the current state of violence, so he chooses to retire. Bell’s reminiscing and decision to retire reflect the movie’s title, in this new country, there is just no room for old men.
