Blog Response Post: No Country for Old Men

1. Analysis of the Book

No Country for Old Men is a novel published in 2005 by Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy is known for using very minimal punctuation marks, “Cowboy” story elements, and biblical themes. The novel is set up as a clash of philosophies, between Sheriff Bell and ruthless hitman Anton Chigurh. Bell’s faith in the role choice plays in life is shaken as the crimes he follows the slew of victims left by Chigurh, who seems to believe in fate as the ultimate decision maker. McCarthy is sometimes seen as the modern day William Faulkner, writing Southern Gothic tales ad-midst unforgivable sprawling, barren landscapes. In an interview with the New York Times he says:

 “The novel depends for its life on the novels that have been written.” His list of those whom he calls the “good writers” — Melville, Dostoyevsky, Faulkner — precludes anyone who doesn’t “deal with issues of life and death.” Proust and Henry James don’t make the cut. “I don’t understand them,” he says. “To me, that’s not literature. A lot of writers who are considered good I consider strange.” (Woodward).

2. Analysis of the Film

Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2007 film adaptation of No Country for Old Men is considered a good adaptation of the novel. The film gives considerable focus to West Texas, capturing the barren landscape in contrast to the gruesome violence. To compliment the landscape, the directors chose not to include much of a soundtrack to the film. The film also gives a distinct approach to Chigurh’s physical appearance, giving the character a strange, alien like appearance. Javier Bardem’s strange haircut is particularly notable, and has become somewhat iconic. It also effected the actor, who said:

“It was just depressing to look in the mirror and see that haircut … I had to live with that! It wasn’t a wig. It was my hair! It’s bad. It’s really bad. You go to the market to buy your milk and people get weird, like really scared.” (Yuan).

3. Analysis of the Adaptation 

The Coen brothers have received a lot of praise for their adaptation. Although McCarthy’s has written a film friendly plot – with drug dealers, assassins and cops – there are a few aspects of the novel that are difficult to film. These include Sheriff Bell’s lengthy internal monologues, and the slow pace of the novel. Adaptations cannot be one hundred percent accurate, and although the Coen’s obviously respect the novel, they do add their own directorial stamp on the film with added dark humor, unfounded in the novel.

4. Online Research on the Film

• In this New York Magazine article by David Edelstein, the Coen brother’s filmography is discussed, especially their style of “favoring form over content.” Link to article here. 
• In an NPR review, Bob Mondello discusses how minimal directing can create a lot of tension- such as when Chigurh checks the soles of his boots after his visit with Carla Jean Moss. Link to review here. 
• You Know, For Kids! is a Coen Brother’s fansite that has the No Country for Old Men script, reviews, and production images, such as an image explaining Chigurh’s weapon. Link to website here.
• Ltd. “The Art of Pop Culture” has a gallery displaying art for sale inspired by Coen’s films. Link to gallery here.

Much of the Coen brother’s work has iconic figures that have lasted throughout the years (such as many of the character from The Big Lebowski). This gallery proves that their rendition of McCarthy’s Chirgurh will be amoung those celebrated characters. Almost all of the artwork depicting No Country for Old Men is of Bardem’s depiction of the character, especially his haircut, but also his ideas, like the example below, by Wade Lageose:

5. Critical Argument Paragraph

Although Anton Chirgurh kills most of the people he meets without pause, the filmmakers chose not to show him killing Llewellyn and Carla Jean Moss to show Chirgurh’s indifferent philosophy compared to that Sheriff Bell. Mainly in the book, but also in the film, the audience is steered by Sheriff Bell more so than the other two main characters. Sheriff Bell is “normal” compared to what he believes is the newly changing violent country. In comparison, Chigurh is strange. In an interview, Bardem says of his character:

“… opening a bottle or answering the phone or opening an envelope, he will have problem with that. He’s out of sync with that. He’s not good at that—having a normal life, but once he gets a gun, he’s like a shark.” (Murray). 

Part of this strangeness represents an indifference to those he needs to kill. These are the “morals” that Carson Wells discussed with Llewellyn: Chigurh kills, but also lets fate intervene if it must. The film, which is on Sheriff Bell’s side of things, is obsessed with having Llewwellyn and Carla Jean escape their fated meeting with Chigurh. By the end of the film, Chigurh has won – the film does not need to show their deaths because, to Chigurh, it matters just as much as the next kill (or not at all). This is paralleled to Sheriff Bell giving up looking for Chirgurh and retiring, and Chigurh walking away from a fated car accident.

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Works Cited

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Edelstein, David. “Coen Heads.” NYMag. 24 September 2007. Web. 25 June 2013. <http://nymag.com/movies/filmfestivals/newyork/2007/38025/>.

Ltd. Art Gallery. “The Art of Pop Culture” Store. 2010. Web. 25 June 2013. <http://www.ltdartgallery.com/category/current-exhibition.>

Mondello, Bob. “‘Country Boys’: Coen Brothers Out for Blood Again.” NPR. 9 November 2007. Web. 26 June 2013. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16153234.

Murray, Rebecca. “Javier Barden Talks About No Country for Old Men.” About.com. n.d. Web. 25 June 2013. <http://movies.about.com/od/nocountryforoldmen/a/countryjb111407_2.htm>.

Woodward, Richard B. “Cormac McCarthy’s Venomous Fiction.” The New York Times. 19 April 1992. Web. 25 June 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/17/specials/mccarthy-venom.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>.

You Know, for Kids! n.d. Web. Last accessed: 25 June 2013. <http://www.youknow-forkids.com/.>

Yuan, Jada. “Javier Bardem Still Mad at the Coen Brothers About his Haircut in ‘No Country for Old Men’.” Vulture. 8 November 2007.  Web. 25 June 2013. <http://www.vulture.com/2007/11/javier_bardem_still_mad_about.html>.