Why I Didn't Like "No Country for Old Men"

I've long enjoyed movies from the Coen Brothers, and "Fargo" is one of my all-time favorites. What a great film, combining suspense, humor, gore (the "wood chipper" scene) and satire in one very compelling movie. Did I like it a lot? You betcha!

Over the Christmas holiday during my visit to Northern California I saw "No Country for Old Men" with my sister Judy and brother-in-law Bill. I know that "No Country..." won all kinds of awards, including the Best Picture Oscar. The picture certainly had its redeeming qualities. The bad guy in that film, Anton Chigurh, is one of the most fascinating and at the same time terrifying characters in movie history -- at least among the movies I've seen, and I consider myself at least an amateur movie buff. (For almost 15 years my ex-wife and I had a standing date to see a movie every Friday night.)

In the end, however, the movie was an incredible downer, which is why I do not recommend it to others. The lawman, played by Tommie Lee Jones, acknowledged that he wasn't strong or powerful enough to combat Chigurh, and ultimately just faded off into the sunset, a defeated "old man."

I go to movies to be inspired, not to be discouraged. I want to see stories where the good guys ultimately succeed. I want the folks wearing the white hats to prevail. That's why I like Frank Capra's movies, and especially "It's a Wonderful Life." It's why I think Dean Koontz's recent book, "The Good Guy," will make a terrific movie. That book has a bad guy every bit as sinister as Anton Chigurh, but a really "good guy" who refuses to fade off into the sunset. (You can probably guess how the story turns out; I don't want to entirely spoil it for you if you haven't read the book.)

I know that in real life, honest and ethical people often don't succeed, although they may have plenty of talent and noble goals. I also know that crooks more often than not -- especially these days -- get away with their crimes. I have first-hand knowledge of a case in which some very powerful and influential people have gotten away with a major scam for years.

But I also know that there are plenty of stories -- real stories -- where good people do overcome both the odds and the crooks and cheaters. Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, whose story is the focus of the movie "The Insider," is a case in point. (As an aside, I've written to and talked with Dr. Wigand on multiple occasions.) He's definitely one of the folks in the white hats who had to overcome incredible obstacles when he decided to tell the truth about the tobacco industry's clear knowledge of the addictive properties of nicotine. Check out Dr. Wigand's recently revamped website. He may not be drawing his $300K+ yearly annual salary anymore as the head of research for a Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, but he's undoubtedly sleeping pretty well these days. And he's definitely an inspiration.

Jerry