I hate No Country for Old Men

[Welsh Jon]

I watched this for the 2nd time today. The 1st time I hated, but I have continually read/been told it is a masterpiece so I thought I'd give it another go. I thought maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I saw it. But no. On second viewing I just hate it all the more.

The reason I hate it so much is that it nearly is a masterpiece. It is so beautifully shot. So well acted. The suspense is so masterfully built up. For the first 3/4's of the film it feels genuinely like the masterpiece it is made out to be. But that just makes the unsatisfactory ending that much worse.

Josh Brolin gave a great performance. He was a thoroughly engaging protagonist. Javier Bardum was a mesmerising, frightening villain. Who couldn't help but be pulled in by those stellar performances? But who could possibly be happy with the way their stories ended? Why build up the suspense to such an unbearable degree only to deliberately serve up such an anti-climatic ending? Why the hell kill off the protagonist off screen? There is no way that an off screen death is the most dramatic way to go. There is no way that an off screen death is anything other than anti-climatic. The unsatisfactory conclusion to the film completely ruins it for me. Making a bad film is one thing, but having a potentially great film and ruining is by not offering up a satisfactory conclusion just to try and be different is fcuking annoying.

Saw this at the cinema, and had to go to the toilet (bathroom, Fat Yanks) just before the end. It was either that or do a wee wee in my pants.

I got back, saw the last two minutes, and asked my friends what I'd missed to make that the ending.

[baya]

toma

[bojangles1987]

I agree, though it doesn't make me hate the movie. Still sucks to know it could have been so much better if they delivered a better ending.

[Scott9945]

I watched this for the 2nd time today. The 1st time I hated, but I have continually read/been told it is a masterpiece so I thought I'd give it another go. I thought maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I saw it. But no. On second viewing I just hate it all the more.

The reason I hate it so much is that it nearly is a masterpiece. It is so beautifully shot. So well acted. The suspense is so masterfully built up. For the first 3/4's of the film it feels genuinely like the masterpiece it is made out to be. But that just makes the unsatisfactory ending that much worse.

Josh Brolin gave a great performance. He was a thoroughly engaging protagonist. Javier Bardum was a mesmerising, frightening villain. Who couldn't help but be pulled in by those stellar performances? But who could possibly be happy with the way their stories ended? Why build up the suspense to such an unbearable degree only to deliberately serve up such an anti-climatic ending? Why the hell kill off the protagonist off screen? There is no way that an off screen death is the most dramatic way to go. There is no way that an off screen death is anything other than anti-climatic. The unsatisfactory conclusion to the film completely ruins it for me. Making a bad film is one thing, but having a potentially great film and ruining is by not offering up a satisfactory conclusion just to try and be different is fcuking annoying.

Agree 100%. Major disappointment based on the awards and reviews.

[Dinamita 03]

I watched this for the 2nd time today. The 1st time I hated, but I have continually read/been told it is a masterpiece so I thought I'd give it another go. I thought maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind when I saw it. But no. On second viewing I just hate it all the more.

The reason I hate it so much is that it nearly is a masterpiece. It is so beautifully shot. So well acted. The suspense is so masterfully built up. For the first 3/4's of the film it feels genuinely like the masterpiece it is made out to be. But that just makes the unsatisfactory ending that much worse.

Josh Brolin gave a great performance. He was a thoroughly engaging protagonist. Javier Bardum was a mesmerising, frightening villain. Who couldn't help but be pulled in by those stellar performances? But who could possibly be happy with the way their stories ended? Why build up the suspense to such an unbearable degree only to deliberately serve up such an anti-climatic ending? Why the hell kill off the protagonist off screen? There is no way that an off screen death is the most dramatic way to go. There is no way that an off screen death is anything other than anti-climatic. The unsatisfactory conclusion to the film completely ruins it for me. Making a bad film is one thing, but having a potentially great film and ruining is by not offering up a satisfactory conclusion just to try and be different is fcuking annoying.

I just saw it last week and thought the same thing. I was wondering what all the fuzz was about, and was buying into it but the end just ruined it.

[The Noose]

Love the film, but i cant say i love the ending.
Yet i understand it, and why it was necessary.

The book makes it clearer, but the theme throughout the whole film is how the world changes too fast as you get older, and leaves you behind. There are several occasions when the hunter misses their prey/target, and the longer they chase after their prey, they end up getting hurt or killed. The sheriff is smart enough to understand this and quits.
In the book i felt it explains more that he lacked the faith that others have. The faith that everything will be ok in the end, or his wifes religious faith. And maybe thats why he quit. He didnt believe that he would get the bad guy and save the day.

[Tay Roc]

Agree. Movie was cinematic-wise awesome. Overall, the story and plot was overrated.

[cupocity303]

I liked the movie but I won't blame anyone for not liking it, or be a snob about it.

The whole movie was 'off-beat' from not having any background music, to the whole 'Napoleon Dynamite' slow vibe throughout the movie. It wasn't supposed to end in a big stand-off type event. It was a dose of reality that the main character of the movie was soo weak, that he didn't merit having a final showdown with the killer, even though they had one altercation in the middle of the movie.

[Phenom]

probably should give this another watch I thought at the time it was a good movie but overrated I hated There Will Be Blood