No Country for Old Men

My primary reason for watching this film was simply because it was directed by the Coen Brothers. I'm not generally a person who pays attention to who the director or lead actor is, but since Fargo and Raising Arizona I've always paid attention to anything by the Coen Brothers.

No Country for Old Men is a bloodier film than both of these and without the humour. It is a dark and bloody but compelling thriller.

The story revolves around a man who, while out hunting, stumbles across the remains of a drug deal gone wrong; a shoot-out in the middle of a desert with dead and dying people, a large consignment of drugs and a bag of money.

The hunter takes the money but then, in a show of humanity returns to help one of the survivors of the shoot-out. This display of humanity puts his life in danger and he is then forced to go on the run to try and keep the money and save his life and that of his family. He is pursued by a ruthless, vicious murderer who would rather kill somebody than not and the result is lots of killing and suspense.

I found the end of the film more than confusing! I suppose I'm typical of many people who complain about formulaic endings but who don't know how to deal with an ending which isn't clear-cut.

A number of times during the film we see ordinary people being offered blood-stained money by people obviously engaged in some kind of illicit or dubious activity. On every occasion the ordinary person accepts the money and that for me is the main image I carry from the film.