Part 1 of movies you should watch at the cinema. No Country for Old Men

I was already late but the girl at the ticket counter explained to me what happens in the first 10 minutes ("the guy kills a cop, steals his car, kills another guy, changes cars - all the while schlepping this oxygen tank thing around with him")

Um, ok.

Yeah, I didn´t miss too much. I took my seat as Llewelyn Moss looks through his telescope and shoots the deer or antelope or whatever it is.

And from there the story unfolds. Although - somehow - its just an excerpt of a situation. Not really a story in the classical sense. You know, where there is a beginning, a middle bit and a resolve. There is no resolve. Its like cutting into a chain of events - some random part of the fence. You walk along that fence - watching observing, then you walk away from the fence.

The camera work, the locations, the emptiness, the long silent shots are really just as much a part of the story as the actual dialogue. And to me - its No Country for anyone really. The story for me is an allegory for the arid state of mind this world is in. The loss of moral, of boundries, of manners, of respect for human life, respect for dignity, of anything. There is just nothing anymore. No rules, no excuses, no sins, no morals, - everyone does what they think is right. But the question is: does anyone know whats right? whats wrong? Thats exactly my point. There is a complete loss of rules that anyone respects. Are we beyond redemption? This bleak tale seems to think so.

The only one in the movie who has some sense of moral dilemma is Llewelyn Moss. He is in conflict at least. Yes, one can argue Anton Chigurh has his own set of morals&rules. But well, thats debatable when your job is killing people with a coldbloodedness, an evil ness, a lack of any emotion whatsoever. I guess you could say he is efficent. Too efficent. Hence the brief burst of collegue Carson Wells as he tries unsuccessfully to eliminate him.

Needless to say, the performances were great - totally immersed, embedded in that arid landscape. Their performances reflected that. Each and every one of them.
All very low-key, muted, subdued. Again, except for Javier Bardem. His character necessitated the underlying molten lava flow of surpressed violence going on there.

The end: hmm.....I have to watch it again - to pay attention more. Because, well, it did end quite suddenly. Ed Tom Bell talking about his dream.

Although not a happy movie - its a classic I think - meaning multiple watchings will give you multiple impressions.