Gillmore, though, thinks that it is "a mixing of the two great American movie genres, the western and film noir," which "reflect the two sides of the American psyche. On the one hand, there is a western in which the westerner is faced with overwhelming odds, but between his perseverance and his skill, he overcomes the odds and triumphs. ... In film noir, on the other hand, the hero is smart (more or less) and wily and there are many obstacles to overcome, the odds are against him, and, in fact, he fails to overcome them. ... This genre reflects the pessimism and fatalism of the American psyche. With No Country for Old Men, the Coens combine these two genres into one movie. It is a western with a tragic, existential, film noir ending." [33] Themes and analysis [ edit ]

The 80th Academy Awards (2008) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011 . Retrieved November 22, 2011.

In an interview with Logan Hill of New York magazine, Brolin said, "We had a load of fun making it. Maybe it was because we both [Brolin and Javier Bardem] thought we'd be fired. With the Coens, there's zero compliments, really zero anything. No 'nice work.' Nothing. And then—I'm doing this scene with Woody Harrelson. Woody can't remember his lines, he stumbles his way through it, and then both Coens are like, 'Oh my God! Fantastic!'" [44]

Sarris, Andrew (October 29, 2007). "Just Shoot Me! Nihilism Crashes Lumet and Coen Bros". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007 . Retrieved August 7, 2011. Politics and Film: Spiraling Downward: America in 'Days of Heaven,' 'In the Valley of Elah,' and 'No Country for Old Men', by Joan Mellen, November 16, 2005, joanmellen.net appeared in a slightly different version in FILM QUARTERLY, Vol. 61, No. 3, Spring 2008, University of California Press McMahon; Csaki (2010), Part 3, Chapter: No Country for Old Men: The Decline of Ethics and the West(ern), p. 221-240, by Devlin, William J. David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph wonders: "Are the Coens finally growing up?" He adds: "If [the film] feels pessimistic, Joel insists that's not the Coens' responsibility: 'I don't think the movie is more or less so than the novel. We tried to give it the same feeling.' The brothers do concede, however, that it's a dark piece of storytelling. 'It's refreshing for us to do different kinds of things,' says Ethan, 'and we'd just done a couple of comedies.'" [45] Musical score and sound [ edit ]Even the directors have weighed in. Joel Coen found the film "interesting in a genre way; but it was also interesting to us because it subverts the genre expectations." [80] He did not consider the film a western because "when we think about westerns we think about horses and six-guns, saloons and hitching posts." But co-director Ethan said that the film "is sort of a western," before adding "and sort of not." [81] De Boever, Arne (2009). "The Politics of Retirement: Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men after September 11". Image & Narrative. X (2). ISSN 1780-678X . Retrieved February 16, 2020.

Coyle, Jake (December 10, 2007). "New York Film Critics choose 'No Country for Old Men' ". USA Today . Retrieved December 22, 2007. Film Award Winners in 2008". BAFTA.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012 . Retrieved February 25, 2008. Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the film on DVD and in the high definition Blu-ray format on March 11, 2008, in the United States. The only extras are three behind-the-scenes featurettes. [97] The release topped the home video rental charts upon release and remained in the top 10 positions for the first 5 weeks. [98] Critic Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stated that "the savoury, serio-comic tang of the Coens' film-making style is recognisably present, as is their predilection for the weirdness of hotels and motels". But he added that they "have found something that has heightened and deepened their identity as film-makers: a real sense of seriousness, a sense that their offbeat Americana and gruesome and surreal comic contortions can really be more than the sum of their parts". [66] This describes the tension between physicality and spirituality, mortality and immortality, which are the themes of this poem.Conard, Mark T. (2009), Part 2, Chapter: No Country for Old Men As Moral Philosophy, p. 163, by McFarland, Douglas. I mean it was a fear, for sure, because dialogue, that's what you kind of rest upon as an actor, you know? ... Drama and all the stuff is all dialogue motivated. You have to figure out different ways to convey ideas. You don't want to overcompensate because the fear is that you're going to be boring if nothing's going on. You start doing this and this and taking off your hat and putting it on again or some bullshit that doesn't need to be there. So yeah, I was a little afraid of that in the beginning. [29] a b c Turan, Kenneth (May 18, 2007). "Coens' Brutal Brilliance Again on Display". Los Angeles Times. McMahon; Csaki (2010), Part 3, Chapter: No Country for Old Men: The Decline of Ethics and the West(ern), pp. 221–240, by Devlin, William J.

With these words, the film's "story line" unfolds, with Sheriff Bell trying, and failing, to be effective. This movie was very captivating right off the bat. Javier Bardem delivered an Academy Award-winning performance, and it shows; his creepy villainous ways are captivating to watch. Tommy Lee Jones also delivers a solid turn as the only true "good guy" of the movie, despite the terrible acting of his partner. The Coen Brothers always deliver from a cinematic standpoint, and this movie is no exception. Also, the ending, while probably frustrating to most, really stood out as the strong point of the movie.Burr, Ty (November 9, 2007). "The Coen brothers' cat and mouse chase in the sweet land of liberty". The Boston Globe.