No Country for Old Men

Luis Caffesse said:
Couldn't agree more.
I can understand how having read the source material might give an audience an added level of enjoyment of a movie -
but it should never be a requirement.
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That has been stated and restated...

I haven't read the book myself, but I still enjoyed the film a great deal, even if I was expecting a different ending.

What I meant was that the brothers didn't try and change the ending, or any other substantial part of the movie, just to satisfy the wider film going audience...they could have had endless screenings with test audiences and had a different ending where the bad guy dies and Old Yeller doesn't get shot, but they didn't. I give them alot of respect for that.

I don't know why some stuff has to be explained as if we were all 7th graders...the post I made about warnings was satire, but it is true that sometimes people don't want to see a film that involves too much "thinking"...or "reading" (subtitled films), so why not tell them ahead of time?

The IQ test thing was just a slap in the face for some people...why not challenge yourself every so often? Why does everything have to be so cut and dried...so easy? Not every film has to be deep and meaningful, but not every film has to be just some running, driving, shooting and blowing stuff up...

The ending had me sitting there for a moment, wondering what was going on, but it got me thinking...and then my friend and I spent 20 minutes talking about what happened and what the ending meant and some other things we found interesting.

I spent 5 minutes talking about it on Saturday night with a director friend and another older gentleman. This isn't some small art house film...people have taken notice.

The ending is not a bad one..it wasn't tacked on, or hurried, or slapped together to explain unfinished issues in a poorly constructed film...it was just not the usual kind of ending. I can understand someone saying "I liked it, except for the ending....", but it wasn't a poorly made film, nor was the ending horrible....and at least it was there.

I find most of David Lynch's stuff to just stop and swerve off into nonsense...and he gets called a genius for that. For my money, he makes some interesting films, well shot, that have no ending...they just get nuts until the credits eventually roll...

....but that is just me.
 
mcgeedigital said:
Exactly.
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That said - I have to say that I still think 'No Country' stands just fine on its own two feet as a fantastic film.

I'm still curious to hear why you didn't enjoy it.
You mentioned:

mcgeedigital said:
But in my mind the "esoteric-ness" of the movie was lost on most of the audience I viewed it with.
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I wonder if we can nail this down to something.
I mean, in the end was it simply that you didn't find yourself caring about the characters?
Was it that you felt the film was perhaps reaching for 'something more' than it really was, trying to be more than it should be?

Not trying to put words in your mouth here...I'm just curious.
 
There are interesting things in No Country..., for sure. The actors are really good.

I'll give it a second viewing sometime.

David Lynch is in a similar vicinity, but I like some of his works, they're crazy in a compelling way. I'm not a huge fan, though.

I guess it's a matter of taste.
 
There has to be something to this film if it has sparked so much debate without ever being controversial in a gimmicky, crude or attention grabbing way...

...can you people remember a film that has had so many people talking about it in cinematic terms in the last 5 years? 10?

Whatever you think about it, at least it has you thinking.
 
just saw No Country For Old Men.

Phenomenal film. Great acting, directing, editing, cinematography. Easily my favorite film of 07, and my pick for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor.
 
I just saw this again last night and wow, it was even better the second time. After I saw it the first time I thought it was a great film, but was mad at myself for not absorbing all the dialogue (especially TLJ's opening monologue, the scene with is brother (it is his brother right?), and the final scene). Viewing it a second time let me really focus on TLJ's character and the film had a whole new meaning for me and made me truly realize how great (and sad) this film is .
 
I have to say I was pretty disappointed in this movie as well. I will give it credit for the first half or so as it was a pretty fun ride, however....


SPOILERS.........



after spending the whole movie invested in the main character and for him to just die for whatever reason and not showing it....I was pretty pissed. The whole ending just didn't sit right with me. And I'm usually the person defending weird endings telling people you need to think about it and be open about it. I don't know, I guess it was just going so well I was pissed when all the big events seemed to happen off screen and I get a 15 minute speech about a dream from a character that didn't even really play that big of a role in the movie to finish it off.
 
I went to the 10:15 opening night showing. Got there at 9:30 and it was sold out. Bought a 10:45 against my better judgment because that's kinda late for an old guy. Decided to stick my head in to the 10:15 just for kicks. Plenty of scattered seats so I duck into one. At 10:10 there's exactly eight seats left and honest customers still trickling in. Now I'm nervous. Six seats left, four two. I can just picture some liberal film buff calling out the crowd because he's got a ticket and there's no seats left. A couple walks in and has to sit separately. I probably ruined their first date. It crosses my mind that they might be able to trace the stubs. My guilt pretty much put a damper on the first fifteen minutes but even so, it was still my favorite movie of the year.

I too wish I could have seen Brolin go down and I was a little confused by the dead Mexicans and the ending, but still, it was just a grand epic piece by the best filmmakers of my generation. The pit bull, the cattle prod gun thing, Woody Harrelson, all of it was mezmorizing. And no music.
 
SPOILERS

What a let down of a film.

Up until the end, I was in love with it. Wonderfuly shot, great 'silent' score. The performances and pacing just superb in every way. And then ...

WTF

At first I was pissed that Brolins character died and even more pissed we never saw it but I accepted it as it moved forward. I figured the Cohens, by design, got the response they wanted. Maybe I'm feeling the same thing as the wife almost ....

But, just ...

That's it ?

Did they run out of pages ? Is there some alternate ending their holding ?

I don't always need the protaganist to win, but ending a film after nothing happens is, is, is asinine. So Brolin dies, Tommy Lee goes and visits an old relative and then speaks with his wife about his dreams and thats' it ?

Huh ?

Not for me. I needed the 'good guy' to win and I wanted a showdown; old west style. The film reeks of cowboys and villians, a classic tale and just falls on its face with one of the most anti-climatic endings ever in cinema.

It's like the film was going at a nice 65 MPH cruise and then just stopped.

A perfectly made film and my nod for best picture, up until the last :30 Minutes when we find out Brolin's character was done in. Films like this piss me off, it goes from wonderful story to no story at all - what-so-effin-ever.

Maybe they thought it clever and artsy to not even show the death ? I've invested an hour and half into this guy, wanting him to win, wanting to see him showdown with the villian and I don't get anything close.


Pfffffffffff

Major Let down

Maybe in time, I'll go back and watch it and apprecaite it more, but .... Sad and tragic like real life but gie me something in the end, even if the bad guy wins.
 
I really liked this movie IN SPITE of the ending, which I agree completely sucked. That's why it wasn't a perfect movie. It was on its way there then absolutely fell apart. The acting and cinematography were extraordinary. It it only had an ending, it might have cracked my Top 10. As it is, I see it as one of the best movies of the year, if flawed by forgetting to have an ending.
 
I'm not going to debate the "Genius" of this film. I just disagree with a lot that's been said here.

Not for me. I needed the 'good guy' to win and I wanted a showdown; old west style. The film reeks of cowboys and villians, a classic tale and just falls on its face with one of the most anti-climatic endings ever in cinema.
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Couldn't disagree more. This film left me thinking and contemplating exactly what took place for a day or so. The ending is there, it's just not the cookie cutter ending that Hollywood has churned out for decades. You also have to think about it and put it together since they don't lay it all before you. That I liked.

The ending is shocking and real, it just wasn't what you wanted.

That's cool. I can understand that. I have no argument with that. This movie isn't for everyone. If I went in wanting your ending then I would have been pissed too!

I went in with zero expectations and left a little shaken, but entertained thoroughly. Of course, I hate the endings of most "Happy/Everything works out" Hollywood movies.

This movie was more like life than just about any movie I've ever seen. I found that refreshing.

Flame on... :D

Cheers,
 
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