No Country For Old Men Ending Explained: You Can’t Stop What’s Coming
Miramax Films By Sandy Schaefer/Nov. 29, 2021 12:48 pm EST
Ethan and Joel Coen tend to oscillate between making films about hapless law-breakers who get in over their heads and movies that cheekily subvert genre conventions (be they those of the gangster flick, screwball comedies, or Golden Age musicals). 2007’s “No Country for Old Men” marked the rare occasion where the brothers directed a film based on a story they didn’t come up with, instead adapting the 2005 neo-western novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The union of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, punctuation-shunning American literary giant and the acclaimed oddball filmmakers was a fruitful one: “No Country for Old Men” took home many honors, including the Best Picture Oscar, and is still seen by many as one of the best movies of the 21st century.
Upon revisiting “No Country for Old Men” more recently, a few thoughts stuck in my mind — among them, Javier Bardem’s haircut as the menacingly stoic hitman Anton Chigurh is still a perfect nightmare, the movie’s handling of its Mexican supporting characters has only grown more uncomfortable over the years (I think everyone’s more aware now of the Coens’ poor track record when it comes to portraying anyone who isn’t strictly a white U.S. citizen), and the film remains a masterfully crafted, well-acted work of suspenseful storytelling … but is it really saying anything that profound or just waxing nihilistic, as McCarthy especially is often accused of doing? First things first, though: let’s take a look at the movie’s actual plot.
(Don’t) Take the Money and Run
Miramax Films
The 1980-set “No Country for Old Men” follows Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a Texan welder who goes on the run after stumbling upon and stealing $2 million from a drug deal gone wrong. A proficient survivalist and Vietnam War veteran, Llewelyn finds himself hunted by Chigurh, a twisted killer-for-hire who wields a captive bolt pistol and occasionally gives his targets a chance to live if they can successfully call a coin toss. What’s more, the pair are pursued by Texan Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a world-weary, aging lawman who seems all-but resigned to always being one step behind his quarries.
In keeping with McCarthy and the Coens’ track record of subverting genre tropes, Llewelyn is unexpectedly killed by a different group of criminals who’ve been chasing him before he and Chigurh can have their final showdown. Chigurh then manages to recover the cash and tracks down Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), having sworn to kill her if Llewelyn didn’t surrender himself. This is where “No Country for Old Men” deviates from its source material. In the novel, Chigurh offers the heartbroken, terrified Carla Jean his coin toss challenge, which she eventually accepts (and fails). However, in the movie, a quietly scared yet resolute Carla Jean refuses to play his sick game and, when he demands she “Call it,” retorts that he can blame chance or fate all he wants: it’s Chigurh who will decide whether she lives or dies.
No Country For Old Men Ending Explained: You Can’t Stop What’s Coming
Miramax Films
By Sandy Schaefer/Nov. 29, 2021 12:48 pm EST
Ethan and Joel Coen tend to oscillate between making films about hapless law-breakers who get in over their heads and movies that cheekily subvert genre conventions (be they those of the gangster flick, screwball comedies, or Golden Age musicals). 2007’s “No Country for Old Men” marked the rare occasion where the brothers directed a film based on a story they didn’t come up with, instead adapting the 2005 neo-western novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The union of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, punctuation-shunning American literary giant and the acclaimed oddball filmmakers was a fruitful one: “No Country for Old Men” took home many honors, including the Best Picture Oscar, and is still seen by many as one of the best movies of the 21st century.
Upon revisiting “No Country for Old Men” more recently, a few thoughts stuck in my mind — among them, Javier Bardem’s haircut as the menacingly stoic hitman Anton Chigurh is still a perfect nightmare, the movie’s handling of its Mexican supporting characters has only grown more uncomfortable over the years (I think everyone’s more aware now of the Coens’ poor track record when it comes to portraying anyone who isn’t strictly a white U.S. citizen), and the film remains a masterfully crafted, well-acted work of suspenseful storytelling … but is it really saying anything that profound or just waxing nihilistic, as McCarthy especially is often accused of doing? First things first, though: let’s take a look at the movie’s actual plot.
Upon revisiting “No Country for Old Men” more recently, a few thoughts stuck in my mind — among them, Javier Bardem’s haircut as the menacingly stoic hitman Anton Chigurh is still a perfect nightmare, the movie’s handling of its Mexican supporting characters has only grown more uncomfortable over the years (I think everyone’s more aware now of the Coens’ poor track record when it comes to portraying anyone who isn’t strictly a white U.S. citizen), and the film remains a masterfully crafted, well-acted work of suspenseful storytelling … but is it really saying anything that profound or just waxing nihilistic, as McCarthy especially is often accused of doing?
First things first, though: let’s take a look at the movie’s actual plot.
(Don’t) Take the Money and Run
The 1980-set “No Country for Old Men” follows Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a Texan welder who goes on the run after stumbling upon and stealing $2 million from a drug deal gone wrong. A proficient survivalist and Vietnam War veteran, Llewelyn finds himself hunted by Chigurh, a twisted killer-for-hire who wields a captive bolt pistol and occasionally gives his targets a chance to live if they can successfully call a coin toss. What’s more, the pair are pursued by Texan Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a world-weary, aging lawman who seems all-but resigned to always being one step behind his quarries.
In keeping with McCarthy and the Coens’ track record of subverting genre tropes, Llewelyn is unexpectedly killed by a different group of criminals who’ve been chasing him before he and Chigurh can have their final showdown. Chigurh then manages to recover the cash and tracks down Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), having sworn to kill her if Llewelyn didn’t surrender himself. This is where “No Country for Old Men” deviates from its source material. In the novel, Chigurh offers the heartbroken, terrified Carla Jean his coin toss challenge, which she eventually accepts (and fails). However, in the movie, a quietly scared yet resolute Carla Jean refuses to play his sick game and, when he demands she “Call it,” retorts that he can blame chance or fate all he wants: it’s Chigurh who will decide whether she lives or dies.
In keeping with McCarthy and the Coens’ track record of subverting genre tropes, Llewelyn is unexpectedly killed by a different group of criminals who’ve been chasing him before he and Chigurh can have their final showdown. Chigurh then manages to recover the cash and tracks down Llewelyn’s wife, Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald), having sworn to kill her if Llewelyn didn’t surrender himself.
This is where “No Country for Old Men” deviates from its source material. In the novel, Chigurh offers the heartbroken, terrified Carla Jean his coin toss challenge, which she eventually accepts (and fails). However, in the movie, a quietly scared yet resolute Carla Jean refuses to play his sick game and, when he demands she “Call it,” retorts that he can blame chance or fate all he wants: it’s Chigurh who will decide whether she lives or dies.
Who Is No Country For Old Men Really About?
“What you got ain’t nothin’ new. This country’s hard on people. You can’t stop what’s coming. It ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.”
