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No Country For Old Men is a darkly philosophical movie released in 2007 that won four Academy awards, four Golden Globe awards, three BAFTA awards, and many more. While using dreams to explain life's dilemmas and lessons is not a new concept, No Country For Old Men takes it to an uncomfortable level. Its open-ended conclusion leaves the audience to interpret the final message.
Based on a 2005 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, the movie has been a true adaptation of the novel. The film starred Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem. The purpose of the story is to point out the transformation in the moral standing while leaving a ray of hope. Set in the American Wild West, the backdrop has the desert areas of Texas and Mexico.
The plot follows Llewelyn Moss who stumbles upon $2 million cash and dead bodies in a drug deal fight. Taking the briefcase full of cash leads criminal Anton Chigurh on Moss's trail while Sheriff Ed Tom Bell tries to save Moss from death. The movie ends with the Sheriff looking for retirement and reminiscing his dreams.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers and the author's personal opinions.
No Country For Old Men ending explained: No win of good over evil at the end
Most of the audience expected Josh Brolin's Moss and the criminal Chigurh to have a faceoff where the protagonist-hero kills the obvious villain. However, a plot twist makes it so that a third-party group of Mexican criminals kills Moss, while Chigurh walks away with the $2 million.
Not only that, but Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem, also goes all the way to Moss's wife Carla and kills her. Sheriff Bell reaches late in most of the crime scenes and can neither save Moss nor track the money. The storyline is slightly more realistic with a hardened criminal being more ruthless than a war veteran.
While the audience that is used to the "happily ever after" storyline may find it disappointing that the evil goes unpunished, the events are closer to reality.
Bell's dreams point to some hard truth
The last scene of the movie depicts Sheriff Bell recalling two dreams that he saw. While in one he is unable to secure the cash his father entrusted him with, in the second one he finds his father riding ahead of him to prepare a campfire.
The first dream recounts exactly how Bell feels by the end of the movie. As the Sheriff, he is entrusted with the responsibility of keeping law and order intact, a goal in which he fails. Not only is he unable to save Moss despite promising his wife, but he also fails to retrieve the drug money. The dream may have come from his guilty conscience.
The second dream suggests how his past including his father may offer him a solution. This dream is a ray of hope for the otherwise troubled soul. The dreams also signify that Bell is stuck in the moral values of the past and has lost touch with the changing crime scenario of the present, a reason why he cannot fight crime or bring justice.
No Country For Old Men ending also has some silver lining
The message of hope comes from Sheriff Bell's second dream. He dreams about riding along a long snowy path but his father rides ahead to set up the campfire. This possibly depicts peace and warmth at the end of a long tortuous journey. It also speaks of a caring parent, a place of happiness for all humans.
Looked closely, the story of No Country For Old Men is not all negative. Though cynical, it has its lessons. The most significant lesson is on greed. If Moss hadn't decided to take the drug money, he and Carla would have been safe. So, in some cases, actions do dictate the consequences.
Moreover, though he survives the injury, Chigurh's accident may be called retribution. There is also a hint of destiny in the story if Carla's arc is considered. The only person who neither commits any crime nor encounters any physical harm is Bell, the actual good person.
What was the takeaway from No Country For Old Men?
As the ending of No Country For Old Men depicts, Sheriff Bell, played by Tommy Lee Jones, suffers too. He endures the regret of not being able to save Moss and do his duty. Moreover, he is baffled by the changes in the crime world where he loses faith in both humanity and himself. The message is that inaction calls for second-hand suffering.
The last sentence of the movie, "And then I woke up" may mean many things at once. It may be hope despite a grim situation, or it may be an awakening of the conscious. Alternatively, it may mean waking up from a dreamy stupor to the harsh reality. In all cases, action in the right direction at the right time will be the call of the hour, as per No Country For Old Men.
No Country For Old Men is available on Netflix besides Paramount+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and more platforms.
