No Country For Old Men

[dabuffbills]

I liked it, but avoided all the hype. So I didn't know what to expect going in. The ending was abrupt and I don't like the fact that they failed to tie up major loose ends. Sort of seemed like they ran out of money and just ended the film. Or perhaps that was done on purposes for artistic effect. The Mrs. and both felt that any story can just "end" if you stop telling it, so its not like they "need" to wrap up every subplot in a little bow. But still, where they choose to end the movie seemed arbitrary. Just didn't feel right walking out of the theater.

Which loose ends are you talking about? I didn't really think anything was left unsolved. I think the ending felt so abrupt because of the transfer from the action scenes, like the car crash, to Tommy Lee Jones talking to his wife. It was so sudden that it felt like the movie ended too soon.

[Fatman]

Agreed, but I loved the film. They kept a lot of McCarthy's dialog which was really great. Long scenes without dialog were fantastic.

 

The scene (from the book) with Moss and the teenage runaway must have ended up on the cutting room floor, which is too bad.

 

Best film I have seen in a very long time. hugh

 

I was trying to put my finger on it above, and here's one thing that I missed from the book (SPOILER):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moss' relationship with the runaway was an important part of the book to me because it painted him in a much different light. Although it looks like nothing ever happened between them, there was definitely some sexual tension between the two. The movie made Moss seem a bit more upright, like he was taking the money largely to get away with his wife. The book makes him seem much more selfish.

[Fatman]

I liked it, but avoided all the hype. So I didn't know what to expect going in. The ending was abrupt and I don't like the fact that they failed to tie up major loose ends. Sort of seemed like they ran out of money and just ended the film. Or perhaps that was done on purposes for artistic effect. The Mrs. and both felt that any story can just "end" if you stop telling it, so its not like they "need" to wrap up every subplot in a little bow. But still, where they choose to end the movie seemed arbitrary. Just didn't feel right walking out of the theater.

 

Some further thoughts on my comments above (SPOILERS):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ending of the movie felt rushed to me too. The aftermath of the shootout at the hotel (where Moss dies) comes abruptly in the book, but seems more logical. Again, I think this has to do with the brief nature of the Poolside Girl (as she's listed in the credits) in the movie. This is the runaway from the book and she plays a much larger role in the book. Her death, like Carla Jean's, is laid at the feet of Moss in the book and helps color his character as being more selfish. It helped balance his demise with this relentless force that is Chigurh. Ed Tom's ending in the book seems more appropriate because it seems a bit more timeless, as there have been thousands of people in history who've come down this same path and thousands more to come. Much more about the inevitability of some of the dark forces in the world.

[yo mama]

Which loose ends are you talking about? I didn't really think anything was left unsolved. I think the ending felt so abrupt because of the transfer from the action scenes, like the car crash, to Tommy Lee Jones talking to his wife. It was so sudden that it felt like the movie ended too soon.

What happens to the assassin? Does the sheriff hang 'em up? I'm still not completely sure what happened to the money. I wasn't even sure if Moss was dead, or just dying. Where was the closure with Moss' family? Does Maurice Minnifield ever do his dishes?

Edited February 27, 2008 by yo mama

[theprofessor]

IMO this was a pretty horrible movie. How this thing won an Oscar is beyond me

[dabuffbills]

What happens to the assassin? Does the sheriff hang 'em up? I'm still not completely sure what happened to the money. I wasn't even sure if Moss was dead, or just dying. Where was the closure with Moss' family? Does Maurice Minnifield ever do his dishes?

SPOILERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They don't say what happens to Anton after he leaves the scene of the car accident, but it's not an important part of the movie since he has his money...we don't necessarily need to know what happened to him. Tommy Lee Jones quits the force, which is pretty evident when he has the conversation with his wife in the end. Anton took the money because he figured out in the first hotel that Moss was hiding the money in the vent. Then Anton goes to the last hotel after the Mexicans kill Moss to retrieve the money from the vent. When Tommy Lee Jones goes back to the scene of the crime at night, he sees the vent that was unscrewed by Anton. I felt it was pretty clear that Moss was dead. The Mexicans wouldn't have left with him still alive. Moss' family didn't need closure since his mother-in-law died and his wife was killed by Anton. Maurice Minnifield does his dishes and then makes him a sammich.

[yo mama]

SPOILERS

They don't say what happens to Anton after he leaves the scene of the car accident, but it's not an important part of the movie since he has his money...we don't necessarily need to know what happened to him. Tommy Lee Jones quits the force, which is pretty evident when he has the conversation with his wife in the end. Anton took the money because he figured out in the first hotel that Moss was hiding the money in the vent. Then Anton goes to the last hotel after the Mexicans kill Moss to retrieve the money from the vent. When Tommy Lee Jones goes back to the scene of the crime at night, he sees the vent that was unscrewed by Anton. I felt it was pretty clear that Moss was dead. The Mexicans wouldn't have left with him still alive. Moss' family didn't need closure since his mother-in-law died and his wife was killed by Anton. Maurice Minnifield does his dishes and then makes him a sammich.

Okay, I saw Anton walking off with the busted up arm, but I must have missed him walking away with the cash. It was clear that *somebody* took the money from the vent of the second hotel, but it could have just as easily been the Mexicans. Yes, Anton comes back and he knows where to look. But I'm not sure we actually see him with the money. And I was curious whether Woody's employer continued to pursue the cash/Anton. A side plot, sure, but I was still curious.

 

As far as the Mexicans leaving, if figured they might have bolted after all the gun fire to avoid the cops, or after getting the cash. But it wasn't like Moss' head had been cut off his body. You never know; it's possible that he was wearing a wolf shirt. He'd obviously been shot to hell, though.

 

After Maurice Minnifield's indian speech, I thought it was pretty ambiguous whether the sheriff quit or keeps fighting the good fight. They could have at least given me that.

 

The mother-in-law dies? I must have missed that. She tipped the Mexicans off at the bus station, but that's the last I remember of her. The wife's death, though implied, was clear as day.

Edited February 27, 2008 by yo mama

[whomper]

I guess you guys arent big on the spoiler option

[yo mama]

I guess you guys arent big on the spoiler option

 

I haven't figured that out yet.

 

[dabuffbills]

Okay, I saw Anton walking off with the busted up arm, but I must have missed him walking away with the cash. It was clear that *somebody* took the money from the vent of the second hotel, but it could have just as easily been the Mexicans. Yes, Anton comes back and he knows where to look. But I'm not sure we actually see him with the money. And I was curious whether Woody's employer continued to pursue the cash/Anton. A side plot, sure, but I was still curious.

 

As far as the Mexicans leaving, if figured they might have bolted after all the gun fire to avoid the cops, or after getting the cash. But it wasn't like Moss' head had been cut off his body. You never know; it's possible that he was wearing a wolf shirt. He'd obviously been shot to hell, though.

 

After Maurice Minnifield's indian speech, I thought it was pretty ambiguous whether the sheriff quit or keeps fighting the good fight. They could have at least given me that.

 

The mother-in-law dies? I must have missed that. She tipped the Mexicans off at the bus station, but that's the last I remember of her. The wife's death, though implied, was clear as day.

 

It didn't show him walking away with the cash, but the Mexicans didn't know that he hid the cash in the vent, Anton did, so it had to have been Anton who got the money.

 

Moss looked pretty dead to me since he had several bullet holes in his chest. Then again there's always the wolf shirt.

 

If you go back and watch the last scene, Tommy Lee Jones's wife asks him what he's gonna do that day since he had time now. She mentions a couple of times that he has time to do stuff now that he's retired.

 

We see near the end the mother-in-law's casket being lowered into the ground, so I'm guessing she was inside it.

 

 

[montster]

It didn't show him walking away with the cash, but the Mexicans didn't know that he hid the cash in the vent, Anton did, so it had to have been Anton who got the money.

 

Moss looked pretty dead to me since he had several bullet holes in his chest. Then again there's always the wolf shirt.

 

If you go back and watch the last scene, Tommy Lee Jones's wife asks him what he's gonna do that day since he had time now. She mentions a couple of times that he has time to do stuff now that he's retired.

 

We see near the end the mother-in-law's casket being lowered into the ground, so I'm guessing she was inside it.

 

 

 

i'm just gonna assume people coming to this thread have seen the movie.

 

i thought it was clear that anton got the money. if i remember right, when tommy lee jones looks at the grate, there was a dime next to the screws -- the same way that anton unscrewed the grate in the other hotel. that tells me it was anton.

 

what i was unsure about was whether tommy lee jones was at moss's door at the same time anton was inside. there's never a shot that shows them both in the frame, and there's nowhere for anton to go once tommy busts in the door, so i figured they were there at different times but made to seem like they were there at the same time. or was that obvious to everyone but me?

[dabuffbills]

what i was unsure about was whether tommy lee jones was at moss's door at the same time anton was inside. there's never a shot that shows them both in the frame, and there's nowhere for anton to go once tommy busts in the door, so i figured they were there at different times but made to seem like they were there at the same time. or was that obvious to everyone but me?

This part was ambiguous to me. Either Anton was in the next room or it was a shot into Tommy Lee Jones' mind and he just imagined Anton would be behind the door when he opened it. I'm leaning toward the latter.

[montster]

This part was ambiguous to me. Either Anton was in the next room or it was a shot into Tommy Lee Jones' mind and he just imagined Anton would be behind the door when he opened it. I'm leaning toward the latter.

 

that was my thought, too -- that anton had been there earlier, but that tommy lee jones was just imagining (or was fearful) that anton was still there, waiting to kill him.

[Jimmy Neutron]

And I was curious whether Woody's employer continued to pursue the cash/Anton. A side plot, sure, but I was still curious.

 

As far as the Mexicans leaving, if figured they might have bolted after all the gun fire to avoid the cops, or after getting the cash. But it wasn't like Moss' head had been cut off his body. You never know; it's possible that he was wearing a wolf shirt. He'd obviously been shot to hell, though.

 

Anton killed Woody's employer with bird shot to the face & the accountant there with him at the time.

 

The film didn't show who Bell was with at the morgue, but he was with Moss there in the book.

 

that was my thought, too -- that anton had been there earlier, but that tommy lee jones was just imagining (or was fearful) that anton was still there, waiting to kill him.

 

I thought Anton went out the window - it was open when Bell looked at it.

[dabuffbills]

Anton killed Woody's employer with bird shot to the face & the accountant there with him at the time.

 

 

I thought Anton went out the window - it was open when Bell looked at it.

It doesn't tell us whether he killed the accountant. The accountant asked if Anton was gonna shoot him, and Anton said "It depends...do you see me?" Then it cuts away.

 

 

I didn't realize the window was open, but when you have a ruthless killer like Anton who would kill anyone who gets in his way, do you really think he would escape out the window instead of killing the sheriff?

[Jimmy Neutron]

It doesn't tell us whether he killed the accountant. The accountant asked if Anton was gonna shoot him, and Anton said "It depends...do you see me?" Then it cuts away.

I didn't realize the window was open, but when you have a ruthless killer like Anton who would kill anyone who gets in his way, do you really think he would escape out the window instead of killing the sheriff?

 

Anton's question to the accountant was rhetorical - of course he whacked him.

 

I think Anton finally had what he was after and the fact that Bell survived unscathed (physically) was a main point of the story.

[Whiskey Pimp]

I really need to see the movie again because I'm sure I missed a bunch of stuff.

[godtomsatan]

i thought it was clear that anton got the money. if i remember right, when tommy lee jones looks at the grate, there was a dime next to the screws -- the same way that anton unscrewed the grate in the other hotel. that tells me it was anton.

 

 

Not only that, but the way Anton paid the kid the cash for his shirt the same way Moss paid the drunk college kid crossing the border for his coat sort of implied he had the money.

 

[godtomsatan]

After Maurice Minnifield's indian speech, I thought it was pretty ambiguous whether the sheriff quit or keeps fighting the good fight. They could have at least given me that.

 

I thought it was pretty clear...

[montster]

Anton killed Woody's employer with bird shot to the face & the accountant there with him at the time.

 

The film didn't show who Bell was with at the morgue, but he was with Moss there in the book.

I thought Anton went out the window - it was open when Bell looked at it.

 

 

It doesn't tell us whether he killed the accountant. The accountant asked if Anton was gonna shoot him, and Anton said "It depends...do you see me?" Then it cuts away.

I didn't realize the window was open, but when you have a ruthless killer like Anton who would kill anyone who gets in his way, do you really think he would escape out the window instead of killing the sheriff?

 

 

Anton's question to the accountant was rhetorical - of course he whacked him.

 

I think Anton finally had what he was after and the fact that Bell survived unscathed (physically) was a main point of the story.

 

i think that what happened to the accountant is open to interpretation. i never read the book, so i'm going by the film alone. when anton said, "do you see me?", it seemed to hammer home this theme of anton as a ghost, or an indestructible force, rather than a person -- almost like he was the grim reaper himself. i don't know, it was just something i thought about last night. i saw the movie a few months ago so don't remember all the details. anyway, i don't think the death of the accountant was implied.

 

and my memory may be off, but i don't remember an open window, either. i remember the open grate, and i remember initially thinking that's how anton got away, but my wife convinced me that there's no way anton could fit in there. i really think anton and bell weren't there simultaneously -- bell was scared out of his mind over what awaited him behind that door, and realizing that fear is what contributed to his decision to quit.

[Fatman]

i think that what happened to the accountant is open to interpretation. i never read the book, so i'm going by the film alone. when anton said, "do you see me?", it seemed to hammer home this theme of anton as a ghost, or an indestructible force, rather than a person -- almost like he was the grim reaper himself. i don't know, it was just something i thought about last night. i saw the movie a few months ago so don't remember all the details. anyway, i don't think the death of the accountant was implied.

 

and my memory may be off, but i don't remember an open window, either. i remember the open grate, and i remember initially thinking that's how anton got away, but my wife convinced me that there's no way anton could fit in there. i really think anton and bell weren't there simultaneously -- bell was scared out of his mind over what awaited him behind that door, and realizing that fear is what contributed to his decision to quit.

 

Book wouldn't help - Anton doesn't kill the man who hired Wells. He returns the money to him and talks about working for him going forward.