Ending - No Country for Old Men

asphaltgambler · 09-20-2011, 08:10 AM

Just saw this last night - thought it was great until the end w/Tommy Lee sitting at the kitchen table with his wife explaining his dreams - then fade to black

Can someone here explain the ending??

Seahawk · 09-20-2011, 09:11 AM

You really have to read Cormac McCarthy to understand.

I have read every novel he has written. They are not for the faint of heart. Read the book.

I just re-read 'The Road'.

74-911 · 09-20-2011, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seahawk

You really have to read Cormac McCarthy to understand.

I have read every novel he has written. They are not for the faint of heart. Read the book.

Agree 100%. McCarthy takes you into some very black, depressing, almost hopeless places. I recommend one try Suttree or Blood Meridian for starters into the world of Cormac McCarthy...

sammyg2 · 09-20-2011, 09:28 AM

Basically, it's "I give up, everything's too far gone, there's no hope left, we can't win".

asphaltgambler · 09-20-2011, 09:45 AM

ok - then does his dream reference to his dad riding ahead holding "fire" to set up camp and meet him there.......................a synonim for meeting his dad in the afterlife - he'll be waiting there for him??

Seahawk · 09-20-2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

ok - then does his dream reference to his dad riding ahead holding "fire" to set up camp and meet him there.......................a synonim for meeting his dad in the afterlife - he'll be waiting there for him??

Read the book.

Honestly, the movie is good, the book is great.

Then you'll know.

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

No Country for Old Men (2007) - FAQ

Shadetree930 · 09-20-2011, 10:02 AM

The two dreams can be seen as expressions of what Bell is struggling with throughout the course of the story and the change of perspective that allows him to come to terms with his struggle. In the first dream he says his father entrusted him with some money, but he (Bell) lost it. This can be seen as Bell feeling as if he was entrusted with a responsibility and has failed to uphold it. His failure to keep and protect something valuable like the money is analogous to his failure as a law enforcement officer to protect people like Moss and Carla Jean, other civilians, and to make a significant impact on crime in general. This dream explains what is troubling him and that he feels or is afraid that he may be a failure. Because his father is mentioned explicitly it is likely that he may feel he has failed his father, who was also a law-man, on a personal level.

The second dream is a reconciliation of the problem from the first. In the second dream, he says he and his father were riding through the mountains in the old times. His father rode up ahead of him and went on into the cold and dark with some fire. Bell said that he knew when he got to where his father was going, his father would be there waiting for him. This indicates that Bell realizes that his father is waiting for him nonetheless, whether he is a failure or not. The dark and cold would represent the unknowable near future and eventual certain death, and the fire represents comfort, protection and hope. His father carries it onward, and Bell knows he will be waiting with it for him when he joins him in the future. The dream seems to be an encouragement to continue in his dangerous profession, rather than retire. The second dream also indicates that Bell has come to a realization, at least on some level, of the concept that Ellis spoke of in their earlier conversation. Ellis says, "Whatcha got ain't nothin new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity.", meaning that Bell can not expect himself to succeed at the standard he has held himself to, and so it is unreasonable to do so. Bell felt compelled to continue on past a reasonable age and into unmanageable situations in order to uphold the responsibility he felt had been passed down to him. When he realizes he can't do this he feels overmatched and quits by retiring. He had tasked himself with the impossible (in an attempt to live up to his father, or previous law-men, etc.) and blamed himself for failing to succeed. Bell may not realize it consciously yet, but the dreams show that on some level after his talk with Ellis he realized that the world had always been this way and always would be (dark and cold) but that there are sources of refuge and comfort waiting for him.

madmmac · madmmac's Garage

If you watch each individual character as their own story, aspirations, dreams, hopes, wants, needs and such, you will get it.

Some win, some lose. Some stay the same.

McLovin · 09-20-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Honestly, the movie is good, the book is great.

I agree. The movie IMO is ok. The book is very good.

The Road, on the other hand, is a truly great book. I think appreciably better than No Country for Old Men.

I almost view The Road as a really, really long poem. I've read it three times over the years, and probably will read it again.

Burnin' oil · 09-20-2011, 10:07 AM

One of my favorite movies.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Wow, that is why I like James Bond movies. The good guys win, the evil dude dies a horrible death, and Bond gets the girl. No dreams and strange metaphors, lots of good explosions.

Seahawk · 09-20-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McLovin

I almost view The Road as a really, really long poem.

I hadn't previously thought of the book that way, but I think your take is excellent.

You've got me thinking

tabs · 09-20-2011, 10:21 AM

He11 it is quite a feat just to make it into old age in that country...ya not only need to be good but lucky not to get killed out there....So an old man has got to know when to quit while he is ahead or he ain't gona be able to survive the vicissitudes a comin. Thus it ain't no place for a old man to be a treadin...

Chocaholic · 10:34 AM

The Road is one of the few books that altered my outlook on modern life. It was my first McCarthy book and I've since devoured everything of his I could find....including the Border Trilogies. Just put Suttree in my breif case to dig into on an upcoming flight. Blood Meridian was violent beyond reason though. Still not sure I get it.

No one. And I mean no one. Writes like Cormac. Have never seen any of the movies from his books. I simply can't imagine how a movie could even scratch the surface.

asphaltgambler · 09-20-2011, 10:27 AM

WOW - it is now clear to me..............thanks all - I guess I was waiting on some beautiful resolve..........but it never came...................just fade to black.

74-911 · 09-20-2011, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Just put Suttree in my breif case to dig into on an upcoming flight.

No one. And I mean no one. Writes like Cormac. Have never seen any of the movies from his books. I simply can't imagine how a movie could even scratch the surface.

Suttree is supposedly semi-autobiographical. If so it would explain somewhat why McCarthy is pretty much a recluse.

The "All the Pretty Horses" trilogy was made into a movie and ... they just shouldn't have tried that one.

McLovin · 09-20-2011, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

No one. And I mean no one. Writes like Cormac. Have never seen any of the movies from his books. I simply can't imagine how a movie could even scratch the surface.

Well, I wouldn't go that far. There have of course been a lot of great writers and great books. But he is certainly among the greats.

Agree on the movies made on McCarthy's books, though. IMO his artistry lies in the way he writes, it is lyrical and poetic, even more than the actual story. In other words, the beauty isn't so much in the story or script, but in the way he puts the words together to paint the pictures and create emotion.

All of that is lost when it's converted to a movie. That is particularly true with The Road.