4. Anton Chigurh vs. Everyone - No Country for Old Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH4IhjtaAUQ Though Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) was a superb antagonist in The Coen Brothers' challenging Best Picture winner, and we did get to see him murder a fair share of people, didn't the film's showdowns - or lack of them - just seem extremely disappointing and underwhelming? For starters, Josh Brolin's Llewellyn Moss ends up getting being murdered off-screen by a mysterious gang of men long before the end of the picture, and following Chigurh's visit to Moss' wife (Kelly Macdonald), we're denied the chance to see her splattered; we only see Chigurh leaving her home and checking his boots for blood on the way out. There's a certain irony in that the last time we see the monster of a man, he is involved in a car accident and again walks off scot free, reminding us how he never really has a viable enemy or showdown with anyone throughout the film. Hell, the last scene of the film essentially amounts to Tommy Lee Jones' Sheriff giving up the chase and deferring to telling airy stories about dreams he's had.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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