After watching "Burn After Reading" a month ago, I am trying to show the wife additional Coen Bros. films.
"No Country for Old Men" was available, and had been widely well-reviewed, so I bagged it. I can see why people are treating "Burn After Reading" as the Coen Bros. light-hearted comedy if this is what's being held up for comparison. The movie reminded me a lot of "Blood Simple" (which I liked a lot), but holy hell I'm just not sure how to feel about "No Country."
Chighur, from the outset is pretty terrifying, and Llewellyn has a steadfast but stubborn streak that is easy to see will get him into bad situations. Ed Tom is a good ol' boy like Llewellyn, but with more common sense. He's overwhelmed by the negative, violent changes he perceives in society, but I don't think the point of the film is about the deterioration of society. The larger issue addressed in the movie feels more like choice, and our perception of it. I liked the whole movie, but felt like the ending just dropped me on my ass harder than "Barton Fink."