Thoughts: No Country For Old Men

Since I mentioned No Country yesterday while babbling about Paul Thomas Anderson, I feel like it's only fair to give it a bit of time as well. Yes, it's true my preference is for There Will Be Blood. However, that doesn't really have anything to do with my feelings towards No Country For Old Men.

I was a fan of the Coen brothers long before I came to appreciate PTA and I feel like I'd be a bit of a traitor if I didn't give them their due. While I might find PTA's work more inspiring in the moment, the Coen brothers are hugely responsible for my love of film. The Big Lebowski is still one of my favorite movies. And the summer that Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? came out they hijacked my movie watching and every night became an attempt to see Oh Brother. (A comedy of errors of sorts, it took me over a month to actually see the film. After it was released on video).



So yes, I bought No Country For Old Men the night it was released on DVD. My roommates had yet to see it so last night we burned a bunch of food, grabbed some comfy blankets, and settled in for the cinematic adventure that is No Country For Old Men.

It's a hard movie. It's violent, harsh, and unforgiving. While the violence can be slightly over the top, I don't feel like it's ever really campy. It just is. There are moments so tense I found myself clutching the pillow on my lap. And this was after I'd all ready seen it once, all ready knew what was coming.



It's well crafted, well told, and certainly well acted. The most complaints I've heard have to do with the ending. While I can see where people may be coming from, I think the ending is great. For me it brings the story full circle. People are dead, the ghost disappears, and we're left with an old men who can do nothing but accept what's coming.



Call it fate, call it destiny, call it what you will. Even though it feels like it, we are not the centers of the world, even our own world. There are events that happen outside of our control, outside of our awareness. We can look for what's coming. But rarely will we see it until it's there.

Anyway. No Country For Old Men is a great film. The Coen brothers continue to make me a very happy girl while they continuously reinforce my love of film. I watch the movies they make and I remember why I am in this industry.