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A review by saareman
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
5.0
Just Call It, Friendo
Review of the Vintage eBook edition (orig. November 29, 2007, but updated as of late 2022*) of the Alfred A. Knopf hardcover original (July 19, 2005).
I read most of my Cormac McCarthys back in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days, so when No Country for Old Men popped up as a Kindle Deal of the Day recently I couldn't resist a revisit to highlight some favourite passages and compare it to the more recent viewings of the film that I've also enjoyed.
This ne0-Western saga was as chilling and relentless as ever. Set in 1970, Vietnam War vet Llewelyn Moss makes a bad decision in scooping up a satchel of $2.4 Million in narco-dollars when he comes upon a deal-gone-bad with no survivors in the Texas desert. Both the American and Mexican sides of the cartel send hitmen, bounty hunters and sicarios on the trail of the money which is handily tagged with a location transponder. Among the hunters is the psychopath Anton Chigurh who lives by a code of his own which only allows for the occasional mercy via a coin toss.
Promotional poster for the 2007 film adaptation of "No Country for Old Men".
Musing about the downward path of civilization and the amoral world that surrounds him, we listen in on the stream of consciousness asides of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell who tries to save Moss from the fate that awaits him with little chance of success.
Re-reading the book I was reminded of how faithfully the Coen brothers screenplay followed the text, even though they dropped several peripheral characters and scenes. The time jumps and unresolved issues were all there in the book as well and left many of us somewhat lost at our first screenings when the conventional Hollywood 'happy ending' was not provided. Hitman Anton Chigurh was yet another of McCarthy's evocations of immortal evil, even if not quite on the level of Judge Holden in [b:Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|394535|Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1701688704l/394535._SY75_.jpg|1065465] (1985).
Footnote
* The 2022 updated eBook editions include an excerpt from Cormac McCarthy's [b:The Passenger|60581087|The Passenger (The Passenger #1)|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646843143l/60581087._SX50_.jpg|58040703] (2022).
Trivia and Links
No Country for Old Men was adapted for film and directed by Joel & Ethan Coen in 2007. It won Academy Awards for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh) and Best Adapted Screenplay. You can watch a trailer for the film on YouTube here.
Review of the Vintage eBook edition (orig. November 29, 2007, but updated as of late 2022*) of the Alfred A. Knopf hardcover original (July 19, 2005).
The man looked at Chigurh’s eyes for the first time. Blue as lapis. At once glistening and totally opaque. Like wet stones.
You need to call it, Chigurh said. I cant call it for you. It wouldnt be fair. It wouldnt even be right. Just call it.
I didnt put nothin up.
Yes you did. You’ve been putting it up your whole life. You just didnt know it. You know what the date is on this coin?
No.
It’s nineteen fifty-eight. It’s been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it’s here. And I’m here. And I’ve got my hand over it. And it’s either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.
I dont know what it is I stand to win.
In the blue light the man’s face was beaded thinly with sweat. He licked his upper lip.
You stand to win everything, Chigurh said. Everything.
I read most of my Cormac McCarthys back in my pre-GR and pre-reviewing days, so when No Country for Old Men popped up as a Kindle Deal of the Day recently I couldn't resist a revisit to highlight some favourite passages and compare it to the more recent viewings of the film that I've also enjoyed.
This ne0-Western saga was as chilling and relentless as ever. Set in 1970, Vietnam War vet Llewelyn Moss makes a bad decision in scooping up a satchel of $2.4 Million in narco-dollars when he comes upon a deal-gone-bad with no survivors in the Texas desert. Both the American and Mexican sides of the cartel send hitmen, bounty hunters and sicarios on the trail of the money which is handily tagged with a location transponder. Among the hunters is the psychopath Anton Chigurh who lives by a code of his own which only allows for the occasional mercy via a coin toss.
Promotional poster for the 2007 film adaptation of "No Country for Old Men".
Musing about the downward path of civilization and the amoral world that surrounds him, we listen in on the stream of consciousness asides of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell who tries to save Moss from the fate that awaits him with little chance of success.
Re-reading the book I was reminded of how faithfully the Coen brothers screenplay followed the text, even though they dropped several peripheral characters and scenes. The time jumps and unresolved issues were all there in the book as well and left many of us somewhat lost at our first screenings when the conventional Hollywood 'happy ending' was not provided. Hitman Anton Chigurh was yet another of McCarthy's evocations of immortal evil, even if not quite on the level of Judge Holden in [b:Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|394535|Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1701688704l/394535._SY75_.jpg|1065465] (1985).
Footnote
* The 2022 updated eBook editions include an excerpt from Cormac McCarthy's [b:The Passenger|60581087|The Passenger (The Passenger #1)|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646843143l/60581087._SX50_.jpg|58040703] (2022).
Trivia and Links
No Country for Old Men was adapted for film and directed by Joel & Ethan Coen in 2007. It won Academy Awards for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh) and Best Adapted Screenplay. You can watch a trailer for the film on YouTube here.