Call it. Go ahead. Call it.
You're right, it doesn't matter. No matter which way you flip it, the outcome will be the same...the ending will confound all but the most astute viewers.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is, at it's very gun-toting core, a character piece dominated by the most frightening and intelligent antagonists since Hannibal Lecter yearning to eat your liver with favre beans and a nice Chianti. Anton Chighur (Pronounced almost like Sugar)'s cool relentless demeanor and benign reaction to all his victims will send chills down your spine long after the closing credits begin to roll. He views the world as a game of Heads or Tails.
Chighur believes he is brought to a particular victim not by choice but by chance. Chance that brought him to reluctant and entirely likeable retired Vietnam Vet, Llewellyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin), who stumbles upon a bag of money that Chighur needs. Chance by a flip of a coin that allows Chighur to decide if he's going to kill someone or not as a warped sign of compassion.
The silent tension (and there's a LOT of it) is broken by the clever repartee between Sheriff Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) and Deputy Wendell (Garrett Delahunt) as they sniff down Chighur's seemingly random trail. And notable roles by Woody Harrelson as over-confident bounty hunter Carson Wells, Stephen Root as Wells boss, Kelly MacDonald as Lewellyn's pained wife, and Barry Corbin as the Sheriff's father give this movie depth.
If there's one lesson to take from this Coen Brother's flick is that even in chance and fate there's a choice. Deal or No Deal, Howie! Will you take a risk and go for the bag of money, or call it quits and take the best offer on the table?
No matter what you choose, you'll fall into one of two categories: you'll either love this movie and get the ending, or feel cheated and lost by the ending.
The beauty in this masterpiece is in its details and careful selection of words and not in the gruesome death and chase scenes. As soon as I woke up to that, the ending will come to you as clear as a (slightly muffled) bell.
So will you go and watch this movie by chance or by choice? I can't answer that for you. Flip a coin and let chance decide. Either way, it's what fate determined.
9 Coin Flips out of 10.
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