Post by unanimous on Feb 17, 2008 17:02:12 GMT 3
Greed comes with a bad hair cut.
In this day and age where there really is too much information abound, various modes of communication, if you read and watch often enough, there'd come a time where you realize all stories are just the same, has already been told, etc etc.
Creating a movie now that's quite unique and still good is a challenge (i mean not pretentiously artsy where only a few whatever could relate to); rehashing an old story and yet still gives you a thrill i think thats what makes a good storyteller, a good writer, a good director.
NCFOM is that. It's a common story of temptation and greed and its consequences.
Lwellyn Moss (Josh Brolin) while out hunting stumbled upon a murder scene - a drug deal gone bad, all players dead except one begging for water - drugs still in the truck and further down the area 2 million or so cash in a bag beside another dead man. You've to forego the fact that he stumbled upon this scene there was still daylight. Come night time, on an apparent attack of conscience, he went back to the scene to give the man water. duh....of course he's already dead. But there wouldnt have been a story if he didnt come back so
So this is where the 'story' unfolds. Cohorts of the dead uns also came back, saw his truck and started chasing him. The loot has a tracker.
LESSONS LEARNED:
1. Never return to the crime scene.
2. Good to always change bags and count your loot - i mean really really count them so at least you know for how much money you're gonna get killed for.
Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is sooo creepy in this movie i swear. He is such a psycho...but if one has the haircut he had in this film, i think they'd be psycho too. There was enough number of pointblank shots in this film yet not too much to numb you from it. still, althroughout u'll always be expecting to see someone killed. No matter that the gun he's holding is not a 'normal' gun - apparently it's the type used in slaughtering cows. pneumatic ones. initially i thought he's got some asthma or emphsema. but no. he's such a badass.
Sheriff Tom Ed Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) - per his name is obliged to solve the murder, help Moss, lament about the gruesome murders and how the world has turned worse.
Woody Harrelson is a bounty hunter set out to get the cash before Chigurh gets his hands on it.
But the trick of this movie is, it's not actually how it seems to be. I heard Coen brothers or this book's writer is also known for being philosophical and the way this story was told is evidence of that. It is not what it seems to be, it's not actually definite what's going to happen in the end. You'll appreciate this film the more you think about it. it still is good for all the gruesome killings it has, if you're into that. The actors are fine in this movie. The score is nonexistent and works so well for this film. to better appreciate this film, here's a spoiler that would make better sense far out as it may appear - and would cushion the obvious technical faults of the film.
On reading critics reviews about the film, most reviews came out shallow, you can actually tell it left them baffled too but are to impressed of the movie to question it or to admit to things that does not make sense. However, one Matty Bede, a commenter, posted a most provocative interpretation of the movie that actually makes sense of it all and though he's the only one to say this, minus the arrogance or maybe too much exuberance, his interpretation makes the most sense - not sure if the coens support this or the writer backs this up, but whatever it is, it sure made the film more interesting for me. This comment by a Matty Lede is lifted from livingdigitally.net verbatim: He does sound crazy
and got attacked for his interpretation and claims that his is the only explanation. NOt that i would follow him to his grave and i think i may be the only one that agrees with him, but his interpretation does answer a lot of things rather than the critics' mostly asking question about the film themselves. some of the things he says seems grabbing for straws but other loose ends i find i can xplain to myself or owed to cinematic license or just scenes to show how such a badass chigurh is.
BELOW IS HIS POST:
The major theme is GREED and its consequences (”there are no clean getaways”) and fighting with our conscience. It is NOT about death finding us. This is the point of the movie - move away from obsessing about death and instead look at the real root of all evil: GREED. Are you greedy? Do you fight with greed (Anton) in your mind?
Read the reasons below, rewatch the movie and everything will become clear!!! This is the one and only explanation of the movie.
There are two layers to this movie, the real part and the sub-conscious part:
Real Layer/Story: Moss finds some money beside dead Mexican drug dealers. He goes back to bring a dying Mexican some water but other Mexicans spot him (see his face/car) but lose him. However, they now know who he is via his rego plates – they go to his trailer park but he is not there so they track his wife around via the phone number of her mother (there is no tracking device (see below)). They find out where he is staying via his mother in law (helping her with her bags). When they do eventually find him they kill him in the hotel but do not find the money. Bell finds the money at the crime scene by checking the vents but he turns it in to the authorities (not shown but implied – see below). Carla Moss kills herself in grief after her husband’s funeral. Bell retires because he cannot make sense of all the greed and evil in the world (a good man like Moss dies because of it), he cannot seem to stop it (“There are no laws left”). In the dream he and his father try to bring ‘light to the darkness’ but in the end he ‘wakes up’ to reality.
Conscience Layer (see below for more explanation): Moss does not meet Anton for awhile into the movie. He initially has a cleanish conscience (i.e. going back to give the dying Mexican water). When Moss decides to run from the Mexicans instead of just leaving the money in his trailer for them to find and leave him alone, Anton (greed) focuses his attention on Moss and begins tracking him. There is no tracking device. The tracking device in Anton’s possession symbolizes Anton (greed) getting closer and closer from Moss’ sub-conscience to Moss’ conscience. Moss begins to understand that his wife will be in danger , he sees/realizes Anton/his greed, finding the phone list (which is actually the Mexicans finding the list in reality). He then discovers the tracking device at which point he meets Anton (greed) in his conscience. The next scenes are him fighting with greed in his conscience. He wounds greed (Anton) but does not kill him. Since greed is wounded you then see him talking to Carson Wells (his reasoning conscience) who says he might be able to help him and his wife if he just hands over the money (give up his greed). The hotel room across the street is Moss’ mind. There Anton (greed) kills Wells (his reasoning conscience). We then see Moss having a direct argument with his greed (Anton) and Anton says that it is Moss’ fault that his wife will now die – it was his choice (in his sub-conscious he thinks that the Mexicans will find her). Moss is then killed by the Mexicans but they do not find the money. Bell is not possessed by greed (you see him mirrored by Anton(greed) in the tv). Bell goes into the hotel room where greed (Anton) is potentially ‘waiting’ as the $2 million has not been found. He goes in there and sees the vent, he knows there is $2 million in there but he knows he won’t take it (the heads on the coin symbolizes he made the right choice) so he does not see greed (Anton) – presumably he turns the money in. Carla kills herself (meeting Anton (death/greed) was her husband’s fault). With his work done Anton finds some new ‘victims’ for greed when spots the kids on the bikes. He is wounded by the car crash so greed is wounded but then as he heals himself they begin fighting over the $100 bill (which in reality they probably found on the street – the cycle of greed begins again). Bell retires because he cannot make sense of the greed and death (we know he does not know greed), him and his father tried to shed light in the evil of the world but he ‘wakes up’ to reality that it will always be there (You can’t stop what’s coming).
Who is Anton?:
Anton is greed conscience. He is a ghost. He is not real. “Can you see me?” We have a choice to succome to greed (coin toss). He wears black/dark clothes.
Movie Poster Titles:
“You can’t stop what’s coming” (Anton). He survives the car accident and bullets but you can wound/slow him down.
“There are no laws left” (greed/Anton can’t be controlled by laws/by Bell it is up to the person).
“There are no clean Getaways” (greed/Anton eventually wins – greed has dire consequences)
Who is Carson Wells and what is the Business Office?
Carson Wells is the good/reasoning conscience of Moss. The meeting in the office is the reasoning part of Moss’ mind (the high rise office symbolizes his mind – the top of the building). The man behind the desk is Moss’ sub-conscience saying that he wants his good conscience (Wells) to stop his bad conscience (Anton). Wells (good conscience) names a date, 28th November last year, when he last met Anton (bad conscience) – possibly this was a time that Moss had conflict in his conscious before. Wells says he knows Anton “every which way”.
Moss talks to Carla on the phone and could end everything but instead insists on keeping the money. He says he has to find ‘him’ and she says “Find who?” She asks about the safety of her mother and Moss says she’ll be alright (he knows the Mexicans will find his Mother in Law). At this point Anton (greed) bursts into the office (Moss’ mind) and kills Moss’ reasoning part of his mind. The other character, accounting, is just another part of Moss’ mind probably accounting for his money. Moss knows in his mind that the Mexicans will find his wife (says the Mexicans were given a tracking device).
And there are many many more parts in the movie that support all this. Now watch the movie again and you’ll be going “Of course!” “Oh, that line makes sense!”
Posted by: Matty Bede | February 01, 2008 at 04:26 AM
Chigurh refers to himself as having been brought to the store by the same forces as brought the quarter.
Posted by: Matty Bede | February 01, 2008 at 04:26 AM
