PinkPanther_04
01-02-2008, 05:23 PM
I saw this yesterday with some friends and thought it was absolutely awesome. Right after it ended I wasn't sure what to think, but the more I have thought, the better it's gotten. I need to see it again to look at some of the details I missed and get the chronology straight, though. Keep in mind if you haven't seen it yet, that it is really violent, but that it is not strictly a suspense movie (though it is one of the most suspenseful movies I've seen). If you go expecting a typical action flick you will probably hate it. It's a morality play and is far more about theme than about plot. Think of the characters as thematic agents and you'll get a lot more out of it.
For people who have seen it, I'll put my main views on the theme in white text because obviously there will be spoilers for everyone else:
Okay, I've read other interpretations that talk about the major theme being the capriciousness of life and our inability to control our own destinies. I agree, but I'll take it a little further. I think Chigurgh represents justice, and illustrates that there is no intrinsic justice in the world (and perhaps no meaning or purpose), except that which we make for ourselves and can defend from (or enforce on) the will of others. Chigurgh creates his own sort of justice, and is the alter ego of Bell, who should be the purveyor of justice but is outmatched by a force that he doesn't understand and can't control. Of course Chigurgh is also subject to unexpected events that he can't control, but to much less of an extent than any other character. Throughout the film Bell is in the process of realizing that he cannot deal with the changes he sees in front of him. Moss and Wells both attempt to control their destinies but fail. Moss doesn't even realize the danger he's in but charges ahead anyways because he has little choice. But Wells does know Chigurgh and chooses to go up against him, though in the end he's reduced to begging for his life. So even knowing what he's up against he cannot compete with the ruthlessness and force of will that Chigurgh represents.
There were a few bits of symbolism that really stood out for me. One was that the film opened with Moss hunting, and he is later pursued by Chigurgh and others who are essentially hunting him. The second one was the story about how cattle are killed, and the fact that Chigurgh uses a similar weapon. And then there was the story Bell tells about the people who rented rooms out and then murdered their tenants - the survivor ran from the house wearing nothing but a dog collar. All of these left me thinking about the nature of humanity and of human morality. There is little difference between the way animals and humans are treated throughout the film, particularly by Chigurgh (who is the only character who doesn't seem to think it's significant that a dog was killed in the shootout). But his own humanity is shown when he is injured and has to clean his own wounds. He shows pain when he gets in the bathtub, and needs lidocaine like any mortal in order to debride the wound. There is nothing supernatural about him at all. He is just single-minded in his determination to complete his task, and he seems to be a narcissist who thinks of himself as being above other humans both morally (in his own internal sense of justice) and because of the power he holds over their lives.
I thought one of the most interesting things about the film was that the character we see most often, Moss, is not the protagonist. The story is primarily about Bell, who is somewhat detached from the action and represents a cynicism even about the idea of being able to control your own future. Even his less than proactive detective work showed that he had just lost the fire to do it anymore, as if it didn't really matter. The dream about his father was maybe about searching for some kind of comfort and knowing that he may not get the peace of mind he wishes he had in life, and that he has to continue riding through the dark and the cold for now. The conversation between him and the El Paso sheriff continues the theme of feeling disconnected from the forces that are controlling you, and I found it significant that it wasn't green-haired teenagers that were causing the mayhem they were witnessing (as the other sheriff claimed), but middle-aged Vietnam vets, businessmen, and professional drug runners. I think maybe they were showing their fundamental lack of understanding of the nature of what was really happening and trying to blame younger generations in general, when it was really something that has always been around - hence the story Uncle Ellis tells at the end.
Those are just my thoughts on it though. I'd really love to hear anyone else's interpretations.
For people who have seen it, I'll put my main views on the theme in white text because obviously there will be spoilers for everyone else:
Okay, I've read other interpretations that talk about the major theme being the capriciousness of life and our inability to control our own destinies. I agree, but I'll take it a little further. I think Chigurgh represents justice, and illustrates that there is no intrinsic justice in the world (and perhaps no meaning or purpose), except that which we make for ourselves and can defend from (or enforce on) the will of others. Chigurgh creates his own sort of justice, and is the alter ego of Bell, who should be the purveyor of justice but is outmatched by a force that he doesn't understand and can't control. Of course Chigurgh is also subject to unexpected events that he can't control, but to much less of an extent than any other character. Throughout the film Bell is in the process of realizing that he cannot deal with the changes he sees in front of him. Moss and Wells both attempt to control their destinies but fail. Moss doesn't even realize the danger he's in but charges ahead anyways because he has little choice. But Wells does know Chigurgh and chooses to go up against him, though in the end he's reduced to begging for his life. So even knowing what he's up against he cannot compete with the ruthlessness and force of will that Chigurgh represents.
There were a few bits of symbolism that really stood out for me. One was that the film opened with Moss hunting, and he is later pursued by Chigurgh and others who are essentially hunting him. The second one was the story about how cattle are killed, and the fact that Chigurgh uses a similar weapon. And then there was the story Bell tells about the people who rented rooms out and then murdered their tenants - the survivor ran from the house wearing nothing but a dog collar. All of these left me thinking about the nature of humanity and of human morality. There is little difference between the way animals and humans are treated throughout the film, particularly by Chigurgh (who is the only character who doesn't seem to think it's significant that a dog was killed in the shootout). But his own humanity is shown when he is injured and has to clean his own wounds. He shows pain when he gets in the bathtub, and needs lidocaine like any mortal in order to debride the wound. There is nothing supernatural about him at all. He is just single-minded in his determination to complete his task, and he seems to be a narcissist who thinks of himself as being above other humans both morally (in his own internal sense of justice) and because of the power he holds over their lives.
I thought one of the most interesting things about the film was that the character we see most often, Moss, is not the protagonist. The story is primarily about Bell, who is somewhat detached from the action and represents a cynicism even about the idea of being able to control your own future. Even his less than proactive detective work showed that he had just lost the fire to do it anymore, as if it didn't really matter. The dream about his father was maybe about searching for some kind of comfort and knowing that he may not get the peace of mind he wishes he had in life, and that he has to continue riding through the dark and the cold for now. The conversation between him and the El Paso sheriff continues the theme of feeling disconnected from the forces that are controlling you, and I found it significant that it wasn't green-haired teenagers that were causing the mayhem they were witnessing (as the other sheriff claimed), but middle-aged Vietnam vets, businessmen, and professional drug runners. I think maybe they were showing their fundamental lack of understanding of the nature of what was really happening and trying to blame younger generations in general, when it was really something that has always been around - hence the story Uncle Ellis tells at the end.
Those are just my thoughts on it though. I'd really love to hear anyone else's interpretations.