If only I could hunt the hunter

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2010)

It's tough to decide which was better: the writing of the screenplay or the execution and direction of the film. No Country might frustrate viewers that feel dissatisfied while watching credits not preceded by plot closure, but those that are tracking abstract symbolism and creative, subtle camera-work will watch it again and again.
Some animals are trained to kill, and to do it well. This film is a road map of the intersecting paths of those animals, and neither predator nor prey stand still. The frames of reference of hunter and hunted are constantly reversed, and Chigurh's ultimate evil is repeatedly and disturbingly contrasted with the unsuspecting innocence of many of his victims. Both dualities are beautifully mirrored by a manipulation of dark and light that even Kubrick would have appreciated. Almost every scene includes some evidence or mention of the passage of time, from the rotation of the earth into or out of daylight to discussions of various characters' statuses before or after death to simply a clock on the wall. Quite certainly, time and the fear of what it might bring were the most vicious and victorious predators in the story.