No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men (2007)

This is a more brief explanation (synopsis not included), so I recommend watching the movie or reading the book before indulging:

I was unhappy with all articles & video’s that explained this movie–so I have been dissecting it for the last couple days. Can’t say I was the first to figure out but…

Anton Chigurh murders a sheriffs deputy near the beginning of the movie. This is the transition from the civilized government to the wartime government. Anton uses a bolt stunner to murder one of his victims; during wartime he (the gov’t) treats men just like cattle.

Anton is the government, the selective service & his coin toss represents the draft lottery. Notice that Anton’s life is never at stake in the coin tosses. The coin tosses involve unwilling participants. Also, the movie is set 1980 & the two coin toss scenes are after the fact concerning the wars.

Key points: Sheriff Bell is a WWII vet while Llewellyn Moss & Carson Wells are Vietnam War vets. Sheriff Bell mirrors Anton in a couple scenes. Some theorist claim Bell is actually Anton. Negative: When Bell follows Anton’s footsteps, Bell’s shadow is always prominent in the scenes. Shadows have to do with the angle of light.

This represents that the WWII vet (Bell) viewed Anton (the gov’t, the selective service, the draft) in a different light than the younger Vietnam generation. Bell condones the actions of Anton because he mirrors Anton’s actions in the same places.

The scene with Anton & the old owner of the gas station is an after the fact coin toss (the draft). Like the selective service, Anton acquires information about the man before the coin toss. Notice that Anton learns the man “married into the money” before he tosses the coin (the draft). The old man was already a winner of the draft before the toss. His “good call” was marrying into the money.

In the scene the year of the coin is 1958 (Viet Cong established). Anton says the coin (the draft) travelled 22 years to get to that moment (Cold War 1947, Vietnam draft lottery 1969).

Carson Wells did not get a coin toss before Anton murders him. Wells was an officer in Vietnam & no coin toss represents that he willingly joined the service.

Carla Jean Moss is involved in a coin toss scene at the end of the movie. She was already a de facto loser; her husband (Llewellyn) was drafted for Vietnam. Anton visits her after his mission is complete–he already retrieved the bag of money. The war is over, but Carla Jean is still a victim.

Anton gets in a car accident immediately after. This does not represent meaningless fate like most theories. Anton gives the kids on the bikes $100 to ignore his involvement in the collateral damage & walks away. The money resulting from the war makes the war okay–accept the version of events from Anton (the gov’t). Anton hobbles away from the scene of the accident with a broken arm–the bone is sticking out–exposed. This represents that even if the governments motives for the war are exposed, as an entity, they always get away with their crimes in the end.

Sheriff Bell is increasingly appalled by Anton’s mode of operation as the movie progresses. He thinks his brutal mode is something new, but he learns from his cousin Ellis that Anton’s way was always the case. Bell’s war (WWII) was the result of “drug deals or business deals gone wrong” just like the more modern wars. The more he learns about Anton, the more he learns the truth about his own civilization.

Bell’s dream at the end: He and his father are on horseback riding through the mountains. His Dad rides ahead & he sees his Dad carries a horn with fire in it (transporting embers for the next campfire). He says he knew his Dad would already have a campfire going in the darkness when he finally arrived. It appears Bell is talking about death…negative.

Control over fire represents civilization. Bell believed he was following in his Dad’s footsteps & carrying on the tradition of his civilization. Bell never had faith in God; he had faith in the system. He learned that his Dad’s civilization & his civilization were just a dream & Anton (the gov’t) was always the same. Bell says, “Then I woke up.” The movie ends.