One thing about No Country for Old Men that singles this movie out of other action/drama movie is its unpredictability. In other action movies, we can easily find who will find and who will lose and who will potentially die and who will stay alive although badly wounded. Yes. I bet you agree with me about this point.
But here, in No Country, you’ll be amazed to know that it turns out to be the movie that breaks our heart because it does not make our hero the last man standing and laughing. No. Don’t expect to be made relieved with the final conclusion of the story. No.
Again, IF YOU DON’T EXPECT ANY SPOILER, PLEASE STOP READING RIGHT AT THIS POINT!
I believe most of us who have never read the original novel by Cormac McCarthy will from the first 15 minutes unanimously say that Anton Chigurh will die (or at least sent to jail) and Llewelyn will be the hero. But right about half an hour to the end of the movie, you’ll find that Llewelyn himself is found dead for some silly reason (which is of course not impossible considering that there are many ways to die and nobody can choose how he/she will die) and Anton Chigurh himself finally does what he is paid to do.
From this, I can figure out that the real message of this movie is not its action, but the message is in the blend of action, slow-moving story, emotional conflicts that Ed Tom faces, and all.
Btw, about the dead of the lovable protagonist, Llewelyn, it makes me realize that actually life is full of choices and it’s too silly if we limit a character’s death has to be caused by a certain reason that moves the story. I mean, being Anton Chigurh’s enemy does not mean that someone has to die in the hand of Anton Chigurh. There’s so many reasons for someone’s death. And it will be too simplifying (as other stories are) if Llewelyn’s death is because of Anton Chigurh.
That’s it. Sorry for spreading spoilers. But I believe, spoilers won’t mean a thing to you if you want to enjoy the essense of the story, which is not merely the thrill.
