No Country for Old Men, directed by the Coen brothers and based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, is a profound work of art. It is exceedingly subtle; so much so that on a first viewing it is easy to simply become engrossed in the narrative and visual brilliance of the film, and miss its deep analysis of the human condition. The film tells the story of a man who finds two million dollars at the site of a drug deal gone awry, and decides to take off with the money. A hitman is sent after him to reclaim the money; however the chase that ensues is based largely around the hitman’s own existential philosophy, as opposed to greed. The overarching theme of the film is about the way in which humanity attempts to break free of the cold and apathetic nature of the world, and its inevitable failure in doing so. Each character to some extent is representative of an idea, or aspect of society and, in this way, their interactions hold deeper meaning. The protagonist of the film, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), primarily represents life and free will, desperately lashing out against an uncaring universe. The antagonist, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), represents the opposite, or could, in fact, be said to represent the universe, or rather be a man who chooses to be ruled by the laws of the universe.
The true depths of the film are explored through the character of Chigurh, the hitman who pursues Moss tirelessly across the barren Texan landscape. Chigurh’s character is, in the typical style of the Coens, ambiguous. He is a psychopath, however it is importantly... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline