No Country for Old Men, Philosophy and View

Note: Only for people who already watched the movie!

Powerful movie which absorbs life as a tragedy. In a reflection on life the movie is about getting old, getting tired of the world. The Coan’s brothers, found a very good script and hammered a great film which is very slowly paced.

The movie jumps off between 3 characters, which are the same. They are too clever, too crazy, too much into what they are doing. It seems like circumstances in their own life brought them into the situation they are in, in the 122 minutes of the art work.

Josh Brolin’s character sees the opportunity to be rich and acts, even thou he knows that it’s not going to end up well. Brolin may be a very smart guy, but although he has splendid opportunities he always misses. The first time we see Josh he takes a shot at a dear. Any dear hunter would have killed that damn animal, but Josh is off target. The entire movie, Josh has perfect options to be rich and to escape, but he is somehow jammed inside his loser box and losses everything in the end.

Tommy Lee’s life is simple. He is a cop, the best ever in his county. And he hates it! He resent knowing everything. He wants to run away But knows he can’t. The final scene, with his wife, shows us, that he must stay a cop, he can’t adopt to his pension life, just can’t, no way. Like his father he better die in the line of duty. We as audience should wish that he end his miserable life, but, Havier for a reason decides to spare his life, like he spared the life of the gas guy. It seems like Havier mercies that ones that shouldn’t, and splash the ones who wish to keep on living.

Havier’s character is good at one thing, killing. He has no emotion, has nothing to live for beside his idealistic thoughts. He defends his idealism like it’s the only thing keeping him to continue his life and it actually does. It’s easy as an audience to love his character, because he is like the other two, too smart. His idealistic ways, are too powerful to strong. He has no pain only idealism.

Philosophy
Can Idealism kill?
Of course, but only if it’s good - according to the Coen’s bro. Brolin went back to give water and that is why he died. Tommy Lee, wanted to find out about the money and almost died. Havier was close to die because he seek for the money and in the end where face Brolin’s wife, it was useless but he was driven be his Idealism. He actually almost found his death, in a car crash, after that scene with the wife.

Philosophy of good
In the middle of the last century a question was rased by philosophers. Not the question of “what action is good?” but “What is the meaning of action is good?”. In our movie, we have one important act of kindness (as we as a audience and society absorb it), when Josh Brolin goes to give water to the dying Mexican. We know it is an act of good because we immediately fall in love with Josh Brolin’s characters for doing it. We hope that Josh will end up with the money. But we have seen movie’s before and know that this action that has no meaning, will end up with huge tragedy.

And in a philosophical sense, does his action is act of kindness and good? We and him know, that the Mexican is already dead! Even he says, “I am going to do something really stupid”. In a way he wants to get catch, but that’s another psychological story. So basically Josh didn’t do anything kind or good. Along the movie he makes bad decisions and he isn’t doing good. Because of him so many characters die including his wife.

Josh did good alright, but only egoistic good (at least wanted to).

In some crazy way, Havier’s character are doing good actions. The scene in the gas station is the main act of kindness. He absorbs the wretched life of the cashier and offers him a way out. He shows some mercy with giving him a fifty to fifty chance, to keep living his forlorn life or die.