112: No Country for Old Men (2007) Commentary

What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss? Watch along with Alex and Nick as they discuss the Coen brothers’ modern classic, “No Country for Old Men.”
Topics include: What the guys would do if they found $2 million, movies about process, favorite Coen brothers films, Javier Bardem’s hair, Cormac McCarthy’s source novel, the fate of Llewyn Moss, where Anton Chigur is in the motel room, the trippy ending, and much more.

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Hey, everyone. Welcome to What are you watching? I'm Alex Withrow and Nick is on this commentary. Don't worry. I'm just doing this intro solo. No Country for Old Men. What a film. Best picture. 27. We had so much fun watching this together and talking our way through it. We spend a lot of time on the film's depiction of process. Hiding money in vents, cleaning weapons, dressing wounds. All of this stuff plays so well in Cormac McCarthy's source novel because we have a beautiful writer describing it all to us. But translating that to film could be dull, boring, repetitive. But it never is in this movie. And this process stuff takes up a lot of the movie. So there's process talk. We're big fans of McCarthy's novel, so we bring that up. Of course, we talk about the performances. Javier Bardem's face. Good God. Favorite Coen Brothers movies. It was a really fun recording. And of course, we hope you enjoy it. So let's get into it. Here we go. When you hear the beep, that is when I hit play on the movie. No Country for Old Men in Three, two, one. Okay. Ready? Man Dog. What's the most you ever lost in a coin toss? Nicholas Dostal does a lot now for their doors, brother up in there. They. Here we are in the Paramount van Taz. And what I love right now, too, is like, you're not just listening to silence. There's nothing around the audio. There's no music about this whole movie. I love it. I just. It's. There is like, a little bit here and there, but it's it's. Yes, exactly. I mean, this is a movie about I mean, process about it's about so many different things, not really about dialog. You know, there's so many long passages of this where we're just like watching them do something or fix something or something like that. It's very Kieslowski like, and I will be sure to point out some of my favorite types of moments that always remind me of something that Kieslowski might do. Oh, I like that. Yeah, we can talk about inspirations along the way. You just actually saw Bresson's. A man escaped. Yes. And in the theater. Yes. And this is a huge that was a huge inspiration for this because that there's some I mean, most of that movie is just there's no dialog. You're just watching a dude literally trying to escape from prison. Yes, Trying to escape from prison. And it's so simple and it's so compelling. And I mean, let's just take a look and just appreciate some of these opening shots right here. Yeah. Like as the day is, we're as we're going from, you know, the sunrise into the day with this really. There's a if you actually listen to what Tommy Lee Jones is saying here and take it all in, He's he's hinting to what the I think to what the overall movie is about. Like, I just don't understand what's going on. Crime like this. It's hard to take it's measure. He's kind of letting us know that this country of his is becoming a source of alienation and he doesn't understand it because. Yeah, and people definitely I know I mean, this movie obviously won best picture in 2007. There's still some criticism I feel like the movie gets from people about not really understanding the ending. There are two main sources of criticism that even people who are like, That's an A-plus movie deserve to win. Best picture. Why the fuck didn't I get to see Josh Brolin die? And what the hell is up with this ending? Fair enough. And we will talk about those things. And also we get to talk about two is that both of us have read the Cormac McCarthy. We have we have we talked about this in our, you know, books, the movie podcast. Yeah, sure did. But now we get to talk about it in full. You guys are doing it because we're doing a movie called This Is This is just so you know, we haven't really seen its face. That hasn't been clear yet in the sun. And just, you know, this is a guy, Anton Chigurh, who just never loses his, like, patience or temperament. He's always so cool, even when he's about to strangle this guy to death. Like this is the violence in this movie is really the way it is conveyed, the way it's shown. It's very important because as the movie goes on, there is less and less violence, which is really interesting. And I mean, you could argue this is probably the most brutal, violent scene in the movie. Yeah, I read it for and I think it's I think it's it certainly sets the tone. Oh, yes. I mean, look at that. Look at that face and the face and the hair. Like it literally looks like pure evil. Yeah. Looks like something from the depths of hell. Yeah. It's like the devil incarnate. It's an animal. It's. It's a beast. It's not. It's. Oh, God. Oh, I love the way he just lets out this breath, this exhale when he's done. Yeah, Like, wow, that was a that was a tough workout. Yeah. And, you know, we've talked about violence a lot, and this is a movie that has this very realistic violence. Like, that hurts to me. Just looking. Oh, yeah. You know, those handcuffs would have really hurt when he was strangling that poor guy. Got scuff marks on it. Obviously, just a fantastic touch. I mean, that's just one of those things where, you know, if you're the detective who's coming into the scene, you see a dead body, you see the scuff marks, like I just imagined, like that's just like you just got to take a breath because, like, all of it's just so it's hit with a slice of fucking reality. Yeah, it's so noodling. It's. This is not a country for him anymore. I mean, this you you could argue that this is Ed Thomas story. I mean, if you if you read the book, but this movie definitely evolves into a Tom story. I think, you know, by the end, I think it's fully about him and how everything he's just done has been so futile, like he doesn't get anything accomplished in this movie. He doesn't save Josh Brolin before Bardem gets away. I certainly hope everyone who's listening to this has seen the movie already. Oh, yeah, of course. Spoiler alert. And it's always I mean, I saw this in the theater opening weekend. It's a look at that fucking face. Look at that head, that smile. I need you to step out of the car. It's always, I think, a good sign of a movie when they are able to kill someone in a way we've never seen before. And I just remember seeing this. I was like, What the hell is this thing? And it's just. It's terrifying. Like the simplicity of it, how no one's panicking. And that guy is clearly an idiot because, I mean, he's the part of the world. Yeah, but it's 1980. Like, I think that. I think that in part is even what the movie's about, this innocence, like this homely, small town innocence, like he's in a cop car. I mean, that dude is never heard of, like, some crazy true crime story in which a guy impersonated an officer. Like, what is an oxygen tank? Like, what is this? Yeah, I would give him just a little more credit. Why isn't he wearing a police outfit? Yeah, those are things you would ask. And I probably wouldn't have gotten out of the car. I mean, by today's standards, but I don't know. Maybe he knows every cop in town, and he's like, What the hell's is that just. I mean, we can't say enough good things about all the acting in this movie, but Brolin was not. Brolin has been around since Goonies like he was. He was in it, and he just didn't have the easiest time landing prominent roles, really. Until this. He was always around. You'd see him in like Planet Terror, which was is actually this year was also 27, but they were making that and that's he heard about no country and wanted to audition so he had Robert Rodriguez shoot his audition tape with like $1,000,000 camera. Oh, that's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. So that helped him get the part. But like, what he does right here, the way he figures all of this out with nothing being explained to us, it's just a few lines of dialog. Like, yeah, if you, if you stop, you stop. And she just all this stuff, it's so, it really pulls us in like, really captivated. It's like, what is this guy doing? And then the way he's figuring out it kind of suggests some, you know, some military training. I, I just love how this movie is so much about process and we're just watching people complete things or figure it out with no dialog. Oh, God, it's incredible. And he really I mean, everyone in this movie really fits the bill in terms of the the types of people that they're playing. But he really does just feel like this ranch cowboy, like I like even just the second you see him, I think that's like a big part of movies is that you have to kind of as soon as you see a character, you can't feel like, Oh, that's this actor playing this exactly that in where he was in his career at that time, I think helped with that. I think, yeah, it's like you weren't immediately latched on to him and yeah you're right Like he's not got that that's a that's an interesting conversation that I think a lot of women like. I'm going to get back to what I'm about to say, but like, you know, okay, like, that's perfect right there. Holding the gun right there. Yeah. Like, very suspicious, very cautious. He's been in situations similar to this before. We don't know what yet. We later find out he was in Vietnam. Two tours and that is just being conveyed here. Also, no fear. Like he's not afraid. Like I'd be terrified and I probably wouldn't venture into this. I mean, and yeah, I mean, it definitely shows like he's probably seen things like this and just the sound. The sound design of this movie is incredible in the absence of music. It's just it's incredible. But what would make for an interesting conversation when you think about certain actors, when they play roles, they've unfortunately become too famous. Like we were just talking about someone that we actually really like is Matt Damon is Matt Damon talks about his only job is that he feels is to be believable and whatever that means. So if he's putting on an accent, if he's putting on weight, whatever it is, it is soul job is to be believable. But there's a lot of times you'll just see Matt Damon. And because he's so famous for being Matt Damon, it's tougher for him to get away with that because people are just, Oh, that's Matt Damon doing this. But I think that's what's so cool about his career is now he's like coming in for like these ten, 15, 20 minute scenes. Yeah, like a no sudden move. That was my favorite. I mean, the most famous is Interstellar, but no sudden move. He just comes in and steals the last 30 minutes. But yeah, I mean, yeah, it's got he doesn't know maybe this poor guy. But what's also cool about not necessarily this interaction here right now but we see this payoff like this Bugs Llewellyn Moss, like he wakes him up and out of his deep sleep and it's like I got you know, I got to go bring Aguilar to this guy. And that says a lot about his character because I don't know, you wouldn't have really guessed. Like he gave a shit. He's got the money. Well, this is a this is a this movie is is a perfect example of you talk about, you know, little to no dialog. You're just watching people make decisions. And there's not really a lot of reasons given either. Like we can assess for ourselves. That one's a pretty good example of that being pretty clear, like it's on his conscience. Right? But like what we just saw, like he looked through those binoculars and saw this. He could have just walked away. Instead, he goes down and investigates and investigates. And then everything that he does from here on out are all just decisions that probably not a lot of people would make. But this guy does. And that's how we get to know these characters. And that's why this movie is such a good adaptation from the book, because that's how the book feels when you read it. Yeah, you're you're like, We're getting to know them just by watching how they handle things. There's no there's all the back stories, just like placed kind of hidden throughout. There's more backstory in the book, for sure, but like character backstory, there's one really good scene in the book that maybe they did shoot it for the movie, maybe it's deleted scene. I'm not sure. But there is one scene between Llewellyn and his girlfriend that's submitted from the movie that I actually really enjoyed in the book. Yeah, but I mean, there's a lot more of sugar in the book. There is a lot more dialog, more explanation. And they I think they took all that out very wisely and just made it this kind of three three type movie about these three guys that really getting into. I mean, there's a lot more information about the cartel in the book. Just all all the cuts they made were really, really smart. And I think I've heard things about this. It like they shot next to like no film for this. Like what they had was what they used. It was very lean, very tight in terms of the amount of film they shot because they storyboard everything to death. But just the way he's figuring this out, like you rested in shade and then there's going to check his watch. So he's like, Watch this guy for however long. Also, it's also interesting to me that he just does not care about that. Dope leaves it there. That's not he wouldn't know what to do with it. You got to handle it. So that's its own thing. But now we're going to call it to kind of a fun question, which is if this is you, whether you or I had kind of the, you know, surveillance expertise to find the money the way he does. But if we just came across his money and we knew it was is dirty money, it's bad money. What do you do? You taking it? Yeah, Yeah. See, I think I would just skim a little off the top. I don't think I get greedy. I think I take, like, two layers of stacks and just be content with that. I mean, the thing is, is like if you're looking around and like, there is nobody here, there's no way that this could come back to you. Well, there is a way, because $2 million will always be missed. So it can come back to you. That's, you know, so but I'm saying if he takes like 30 grand, I don't know, are they really going to come, like, looking for him if he's just got 30? I don't know. I mean, I suppose that is a smarter move because. Yeah, I mean, yeah, but then I guess it's all a moot point because he, whether he takes 30 grand or 2 million, he still comes back with the water and still gets caught. And at that point they, they're not. And that the guys never sit him down and go, So how much money did you take? They're just trying to kill him right away. Yeah, exactly. They think that if he didn't take the money and then still came back for slaughter, that's a really good point to still be dead. So you may as well take it all. All right. Yeah, that is. There's a whole story behind that. Yeah. That he really wanted to acknowledge. Just what he had found because that wasn't in the script. And the Coens do not like ad libs. They don't like that. No. Adding in anything. So he was really asking like Joel and Ethan Coen, like, Can I just acknowledges in some way they're like, Well, what are you thinking? And he did like ten different versions of him or Yeah, or something like that. And they go, Okay, yeah, you can try it. So he did that. And what is it like in every subsequent screening of the movie? Ethan Coen would just like laugh from the back of Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh. Because it's not even a funny line. But he's laughing because he's like, Wow, we really let it include that. That's the Coen brothers. They're such a fascinating duo to hear the way that they work and the way that actors work with them, because every actor wants to be a part of a Coens brothers movie. Yeah, but they're so particular, very and you know, from from what it sounds like, they clearly have humor. Oh, yeah. Their movies are chock full of Yes, yes. But on set not they don't come across like that. Right. I think it's just very like we're here to do the work again. They're not shooting like a ton of time. It takes they're not they don't have a lot of footage at the end of the day. And you say, What's in the script? There are ohms, there are pauses. You follow all those? Yeah. And so there's not really a lot of like, you don't really need to talk about all that when we're on the set. And yeah, it's just everything's very economical, but everyone talks about them. It's like they're literally the same person, but it's just two different people. Yeah, they, they don't argue, they agree with everything. It's crazy. Here we get Kelly McDonald, the great Kelly McDonald, who just she's so good. She's so good in this. And you know, kind of a we talk about this a lot about the portrayal of female characters and for the for her first few scenes, it's kind of like this, you know the nagging wife type thing and the nagging girlfriend. And then, God, by the time we get to the end of this, the that powerful scene with her sugar is like it's one of the best scenes in the movie Keep it up. And this is a is like you from the second he walks in the way they talk to each other you get their relationship yeah they're dynamic perfectly and it is it's still like kind of funny taking back your script and just everything he's been through. Like he's still got time for humor, time to have a beer. But I think that says a lot about him right here. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I mean, if you really want to get a film geeky about it, you know, I don't think there is any any type of accident that, you know, we kind of got that almost noir ish Venetian blind type of lighting. It was great. Yeah. To kind of foreshadow the doom because that's something that film Noirs would always do is always if a character was doomed, they would portray them in life through the that while the mist mixed mishmash of light from a venetian blinds. Yeah, like just some sort of something in the way of of the light. And so it's obscuring the frame a little bit. This, this, this whole sequence right here is like we're going to see this a few times on this podcast, but the whole way it's done, the execution of it, it's just one of the best I've seen since in the 15 years since it's come out. And I mean, even before, like, you know, he gets down there and looking up and there's a car and there's more cars and they come down toward him and he, he just tracks all this of like there's a great when he's he's like sitting down and hiding behind one of the trucks and we just slowly push push in on him and he's making that decision of like, what the fuck am I going to do? Like, I guess I won't have to run from this. I don't know. It's one of the most terrifying images in my opinion, I've ever seen in a movie is like when he sees the car, when he sees the cars because everyone gasped in the theater. You're Exactly. Yeah. Because the thing is, he looks back, he's about to do it and he's you see this sort of just as one car. And then you as the audience almost gather for yourself. What if there were he wasn't the. Hmm. So now it's in your head that there is an idea like, Oh God, I don't like, I don't what's going to happen if that does happen? It does. And it just it punches you right in the face. And we're just so tense right away. Like we obviously want him to get away. And and then this is one of Roger Deakins is just finest hours. This whole sequence, it took them forever to shoot this because they shot it. I mean, when the actual chase gets going, you know, like the sun was coming up and you only get that that sunrise light for like 15 minutes. So it comes looks right back. He's like, yeah, like now your whole now your life has changed. Like, you were just joking around with your wife. You had $2 million. Now things are now things are different Consequences. Yep. But, you know, did he really think that to still be alive? I don't know. I think it was keeping him up all night, and it is hard to know. He has no kicks. And he killed the cowboys this night like that. But I love how you. You hear them like poking the tires, like letting the air out of the tires So even if he were able to make it back to his truck and using that being now, like with every pretty much with every passing shot, the sun is going to be coming up more and more. And that is not easy to capture when you're shooting on film. Oh, God. Got to run. Yeah, Yeah. You can't stay like you were like that. That's like in the Fucking Lightning. That's about. It's like, just look at this. It is incredible. And you're kind of hoping to get that and you're kind of hoping, like, maybe they don't see him. And then and there's no way you can plan for that either. Like, Oh, the lightning, you mean. Yeah, that's just luck. You're getting it. But yeah, like all this lighting in the sky, like, you don't have long to film this, so then you're just getting it on days, right? You got to come back the next morning, like the next morning. I mean, it's just gaining on him, getting it only gain. Funny because there is about to be dog that comes up here who so much of this movie is watching them like get hurt and then deal with their injuries. Yeah, but just the way he handles this, like I'm not going to be able to swim well with the boot or jet boots or jacket. Somebody do this in the way, like cleans the gun so quickly. It's just so experience shows that he really knows like what he's doing even in times of great, great panic. And this is terrifying because like, like this is something you don't ever see is like a chase between a human and a dog in water because the dogs are fast and he like like even that like just the idea of it when he can only use one arm. Yeah, he's right. Shoulders. Totally. It's out. And I don't give credit like I'm not upset by the killing of the dog. This is one of the very few instances in film where I'm like, Yeah, okay, okay. I get why that had to happen. Yeah, I think it's because it doesn't really feel like a dog. It feels more like. Like it's an enemy. Yeah, it's it's an extension of the car and it's like, this has to happen. Like, yeah, this. This thing's not going to stop. It's amazing. Just blowing, blown it out, cleaning it. Can I. Can I have? Yeah, Always. The Coens are so good at geography placement. Whether we're out in a field like this or, you know, the trucks in his own back, we get that and then we get to that hotel shootout later and like, they're jumping off from the second story. Just all that stuff. You always get where you're at. I love it. You had a you had a script that you were tinkering with that seemed to have a lot of this type of the kind of real time. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah, it was, I would say, influenced pretty heavily by this in more over like the process of watching people try to figure out very difficult, potentially life threatening situation like in real time. And I just want to do that for a whole movie. So yeah, like 85 pages would be 85 minutes to do that. The title is The Dead Man on My Land. Yeah, well, I love that. I mean, this is we just went from one iconic chase scene to now an absolutely iconic set piece of dialog with this incredible actor. Just so menacing and intimidating. Yeah. And that's what's so cool about it, is that we don't we know we need to be afraid of this guy, obviously, like, we're afraid of him. But this actor, aka, what is this guy's name? Gene Jones. That's right. He was he was Sweet Dave and The Hateful Eight. He was a terrifying preacher in the sacrament. But this was really his first thing that I saw him in. And I just love, you know, something wrong. What time do you close? Now's not the time. I just. Oh, God, I love that. And it really makes you wonder, like, how often does he do this? Does Anton Chigurh do this? Like, where he's just making the decision of kill this guy's asked a few too many questions, or this woman, Now I'm going to kill them and I'll just do the coin toss because, you know, he offers it to him later with the woman who seems to be like the the whatever, like the trailer park manager, where I'm looking for the well, in Boston, she sticks up someone. But like, why doesn't he do it with her? Because he hears someone, you know, in the other room and then he's going to do it with with the wife later. She's so interesting. This guy is like pure vessel 40 for evil, going from job to job. And I mean, he's like straying from his job here. This guy has nothing to do with anything. Like why you? It's like this philosophical devil. It's just Cormac McCarthy in the essence of pure evil. It's perfect. It's perfect. And he's like, He's speaking from a place of on the street. Yeah. You like it? He's, like, stunned. Like, for the way that he talks philosophically to the way that he, like views, like someone like him and tries to actually connect like he's like, I love that gasp that he does where he's like, You don't know what you're talking. Yeah. Do you like like you're like, it's almost like this guy's fear. Awkwardness is in the way of what sugar is actually trying to get it right. Right conversation. And he's just like, dammit, you're just you're we're not going to have the kind of conversation I want to have, are we? He's like, in search for that conversation. Yeah, it's something. Yeah. Just like any he's always even when he's like it. Would that stand off with Woody Harrelson, that stuff he's saying to him, Oh my God, it's so, it's so cold, but simple. Yes. Yeah. Like, it's almost like this is putting him out. Like he's got to do this like, exact Now, in this situation because you're an idiot. And now I have to. We have to see what happens. Yeah, because, you know I'm going to kill you if you don't call this quickly. That's clear. But if you do call correctly that I walk away, you're clearly never going to forget this moment. You know, don't put that coin in. It's not it's not just normal coin. It's a lucky coin. And you're going to remember this forever. And I don't know, maybe this does like change this guy's life and yeah, maybe takes his life, does something, does something else. I don't know. He seemed pretty happy before this conversation started, though. This is the only time we find out the year the movie in terms because, you know, it says in 1958, he's been traveling 22 years. So great little subtle hint there. What is it, 1984. He did it so fast. Well, I've seen the movie a lot of times and I've done it in the past. So you figure out that first. No, not just now. I just knew that from watching the movie, like a million times. Well, is on this relief in him like a God of Love is It's just not clear what it is we have which it is sort of. Look. Yeah, in which it's there. Oh, my God. You're just on the edge on the literal edge of your seat The first time you see this. Like, what is going to happen to this poor bastard? There's there's something, you know, there's a, there's an acting technique that I dabbled in the Alexander Technique, where it's all about energy. And like, what? Like you bring into a scene that just sort of like, so, like, for that, you know, obviously he's wearing just dark colored clothes. He's got a ridiculous haircut. But soon as he walks in anywhere, there is just this ominous about him. Yeah. And and it's like, how is just one do that. Exactly. And it's all energy. Like you have to kind of like somehow fill yourself up with a certain type of feeling that that all of a so when you walk into the room that energy is just like radiating off of you and the camera picks up on it. And for his performance like you can, he could dial in to just one mode of energy and then he gets to keep it there for the rest of the performance because he's not an Anton Chigurh is not a guy who gets rattled. He doesn't we don't ever seem like angry when he's killing someone. When he's talking to someone, it's always the same temperament, just a genuine, bona fide sociopath. Now he's a good guy. Didn't he get Jesus? Great hang grading. I think he got voted by like some psychological group. They voted on the most authentic, like psychopath sociopath in movies. And I think this performance got it. I really think I'm bullshitting. Yeah, Really? Yeah. I mean, he's. It's so, so authentic because there's no there's just no, like, empathy there. No, but he seems to I don't know. He gives people chances. Clearly what I was going to say in a weird way, like, I don't know, like they're like obviously I don't think he's a good person, but there is like something to like in his dialog that what he's trying to get at. Like, I'm like, I can wrap my head around, Well, he does have a code, Harrelson says. Like he's a very strict, like moral code and he doesn't break from that. Even if you can kind of see that conflict when he's doing the coin toss thing with Kelly MacDonald, you see that in him. She's like, You don't have to do this. And I think that's a really significant point in his life. Like how maybe I don't know, but he already promised Josh Brolin, who now that he would do it, and so he has to see it through. I always I always had a cool idea that in some type of way, Anton Chigurh is like a demon from hell and Woody Harrelson is like an angel from heaven. And they're both and they both are like they basically Woody Harrelson was sent to basically stop Sugar, Stop the Devil, Sam The Devil in any sort of way. I've always sort of thought that that was an idea at play or it is certainly, I mean, of course, this is not literal. This is just a weird idea that I had when I watched it, but I like to kind of play with that when I watch this movie. Well, he's a shining bit of hope. The Woody Harrelson character. You're like, okay. And he plays it so well and he's he has this casual attitude like, Yeah, you know, I remember date names. I've seen him. I can I'll find him all the time. And then he's in the movie like 12 minutes, like 12 minutes, and they speak to each other as if they've been doing this for, like, centuries. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Sugar, are we really doing this again? I like that, Reed. I like that. It's not like he's not, like, the most angel. That's the literal thing. And you don't mean it literally. No, but they're very good. It's just polar opposites because I don't think Woody Harrelson is his character is probably like this bastion of, you know, niceness, no action. He's the is in it, too, but not in this way. Maybe there's some supernatural element to it. His Garret Dillahunt, one of my favorite kind of younger character actors. So he played dual roles in Deadwood, and he auditioned for Llewellyn Moss several, several times. And I ended up giving him this part, which is nice. He's great in this. He's so sarcastic and whoa, differences. Yeah, well, he plays he plays this part perfectly. Yeah, Yeah. And we've heard Tommy Lee Jones in the beginning, but now we're just seeing him and we're like into the movie, like, we're well into it now. We're getting now we're getting to it Such a good talking about energy and temperament, such a good way. He plays it too, as it's got you know, it's close to retirement now. He's got this crime spree that he's never tarred. You can take it's measure. He's never seen anything like it. It's kind of like trying to figure it all out, but also over it a little bit. I'm going to be like him in the sheriff for a disgruntled sheriff in retirement. I'm just not going to get it. I don't get it now. I could see myself as an old guy just being like, I just this isn't just sound. This isn't what I know. I think it's a huge part of this movie. I think that is a huge theme of this movie, especially as it goes on. And he's talking with his I believe that's his uncle or his relative, you know, in that like shack. Yeah. Even the dreams that he's describing at the end, this is like really shows the small town vibe there. Yeah, I know. You know. Well, Miles, I know that's true. What's cool is, like, we've already we've been back to this setting. This is our third time back here, and we still don't have the slightest idea what happened. We know the aftermath of it and now. And now we're going to get explanations for everything or what they think are the explanations. And it's just so cool. Like they're they're carrying you along. You have to trust them, but they're not going to take you out of it. They're still going to do some funky shit, like not show you the one of the main characters dying. But you know, that's just them. I think it's one of those things, too, where I can understand, you know, for a certain type of audience that's very frustrated by this. I do too. Absolutely. Yeah. But if you if you if you do just want to you don't want to think outside of what the movie's kind of like offering. I could see this movie being a terribly frustrating experience. I get it. But then there are also some, like, you know, cheaper B level genre thrillers that will fit that need perfectly. Oh, this is like a best picture winning expert, Western thriller that was also made by two very quirky guys who are going to do are just going to include some fuck with it. I mean, Fargo in the beginning tells you it's based on a true story. No, it's not. It's not at all. It's it's just they're just messing with it. I love the differences they hide this like his eyes. Like, it's just like it. It's just like it's all too much. Like, even though it's not. It's just. It's the years of dislike. This. Wait, that's what it is. You carries this weight in your face about about all this. Yeah. Even in that opening scene when he's talking about, like, old timers didn't even carry guns. Yeah, I love how they're also riding horses. Yep. Nice little. And one of them is Whitehorse. Yeah, I love that, because that's thing, too. Like, that's something, you know, I mean, before cars, there were horses. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, well, they didn't want to take their trucks down there. Yeah, four wheel drive, whatnot. Now we're seeing a different use of that device there. And that's something that is going to appear more than even like the head shots, you know, it's this knocking out of the deadbolts, the the locks. Pure example, what I was talking about there, like all that dude did was just walk into the room and just in that frame, like, even now, like it. This is danger. Yeah. He just owns the space he's not afraid to shit in. Walk in there like cautiously with his gun out or whatever out, just walking around. He he's been through this enough to know, like, if this guy is still alive, there's no way he's still here. And if he is, I'll. We'll have that conversation. Will you just look at. I mean, just taking it all in. Okay. Married? Who is he going? Where is he going? This is a pro is an absolute pro. You know, you hire the one best tool. He's the Terminator. Yeah. That's why he goes and kills poor Stephen Root there in the office because they hired the the other crew to come find the money. This is always something I actually like. The milk. The milk? What do we say? Looking for a man who recently drank milk. Yeah, but it's so again. It's very creepy and very eerie and very dangerous to watch someone who's just comfortable in a space that is not there. Yeah. And he is always just whatever now is is probably deciding, okay, what's my next move is I have a little fucking milk though, man. Looking back at himself, probably a rare thing. Oh, okay. Here it comes. There she is. Really the only person who stands up to him, and she's the only gets away with it and gets away with it like she's fantastic. I love when he does. Really. He really goes, Where does he work? Like you feel like that's his last attempt and it still doesn't go anywhere. I mean, she's like, talks down to him. Did you not hear me? I think one of the main probably the only reason she gets to live is that he hears someone else in the room like the bathroom. And I kind of read it as, all right, it's a little too much work. I'm just getting out of here. It sounds great. This is Kathy Lambkin. Like, he looks away like he's like, Well, here's the toilet flush. I think in the back. So he's like, I know you, lady. Like, you're a tough one. I'm not going to get much from you. All right. All right. There's this these little views like. All right, all right. There's the whole entire idea in acting about a scene is like, you know, obviously there's this thing about, like, all right, when you walk into a scene, there's something that you want and then and then it's not about whether you get it or not. It's about your fight for it. Right. And like in that scene, he just wanted an information. He wanted to know where he works. Yeah. And and the most interesting, interesting thing is to watch someone fight for it and then not get it. Yeah. Yeah. Which I think he probably thought of all the things he's doing today, This would be an easy task, but just, you know, I'm just looking for the well, most no big deal and then he doesn't get it. And he almost seems it's like a little amused as he's leaving. Yeah all and a lady. Yes, ma'am. Women don't like become. Well, not I mean in 1980s Texas it probably was okay but I think it's a little old fashioned nowadays, at least for younger women. But I mean, they're married, you know? Yeah, fuck it. I don't think anything by the edginess of it because, you know, you go on like, that's just not a good way to go about this. You but you know, they're going in as police officers would gunshot a little cautious. Completely opposite of how sugar went in. I did want to say not to, like, bring down the mood. That actress that actor was Cathy Lampkin, and she passed away earlier this year. You know, but rest in peace to her. She's great in this movie. It was an early movie. She she had roles. I don't need to know that. Well, we're paying our respects. Yeah. Is a piece and I think here's when he's kind of starting to put together the because the only information we get of what that devices he kind of talks about it in like a throwaway like it's how he used to he'll steer they just use you know fire this bolt into their head and you're like, oh God, that's what it is. That's aggravating. Yeah. Oh, sure. That's the young one who's like, He's hungry, thirsty for information. This is all new to him. But Tommy Lee's like, Well, I'm just going enjoy this milk. Who cares? So that's gross. So he had his mouth on it. Well, can you catch DNA that way? Not 1980. Now, DNA became a thing in like the a major thing in like the early nineties ish. So, no, 1980 DNA was nothing. But yet you would have been able to I mean, even you get his fingerprints. Yeah. From the jug, actually, probably not, because it's sweat, you know, So it would have been wiped out. He's a smart motherfucker that Anthony Sugar. That's a great line. Yeah. Traveling with this damn briefcase being tracked the whole time doesn't know it. It's got that little tracker in it. This is such a good call back. Just him looking at the room map, and then Barton does, too. It's great. Yeah. All of his dialog, like, as we see him alone here. It's just so funny. It's so good. Not all of it is funny, but when he's going and buying stuff, you know, like the. Like what Tenants need tentpoles. Well, I have the special order room. All take ten. Yeah. Yeah. Which guy? The most poles. It's hilarious. And this, this Venn things hiding in the money is very, very important. It's very fun to watch here. Like how he does it, and he has to rent the other room to retrieve it. But in the room, he in, It's a very important, you know, theme that we're going to see this hiding of the money. And again, this is our one of our first big like process things. It was a process of watching him find the money. But this like this is such a such a simple thing. You know, this is we all could do this like we need to hide something in event how it with the we have to be able to retrieve it later. So how do we do that is taken out just a little bit of money that he needs to buy supplies. Yes. So we can put everything. This is the very like a man, a part. Yes. Or a man escaped. Escaped? Yes, madam. A parts Vin Diesel. It's terrible. Yeah, He's. Yes, but yes, yes, absolutely. These scenes. And even when you know he's injured and went back, that great sequence and Javier Bardem is tending to his wounds yet very man escaped. But I love this stuff of like figuring out these it seems simple like I have to hide money where if someone walked into this room, they really not be able to find it without a little work. And this is one of those movies that like would that does so well in a movie theater. Oh, yes. If you've got an audience that's going to be quiet. Yeah. Why this do it? They would if there's a one of those jackasses that's talking or like making too much of this candy, it's, you know, fuck the whole thing up. Well, that's with every time. God, it pisses me off. I really hate it. But. But yet because of the sound, because of the just being in that isolation, in that way, it's so effective as a big screen movie. I love when he's pushing that money back and he has to use one hand and it looks I mean, the money's got to be heavy, you know? Yeah, I love all those details. Back of his head, fucking hair talking to Grandma, grandma or Mama. In the book she is revealed to be grandma, which you know, I don't think they explain that here, but that's why she's a little bit older. There it is. Neff is making his way down the list, but in all the pieces together. Oh, this guy's great. They call back when he comes back from the hospital and he's just wearing it's like hospital gown, but he's still got the boots. It's fantastic stuff. Yeah, tough. He had to walk through a lot of them desert with a shirt over his feet, create a lot of dialog over here. Like, I don't want to get in the jackpot. The RTR. Keep going. Take me another motel. I love it. Got out of it. And he's smart, too. Again. Like there we got two smart guys, you know, in this we got Javier Bardem is very smart guy just in practicality, Llewellyn Moss very smart. And it's cool to see Javier Bardem chasing Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones is chasing them both. You might say this movie's a giant chase. It's a giant chase until the chase leads to absolutely nowhere and nothing is resolved and then it ends because that can be the futility of life, which is really what this movie is about to me, just how random it all could be. Like we're we're in a thriller. They've tricked us to think that we are watching like a great movie thriller, which in some parts we are, But that's not the intention of the movie. And that I think, is captured. I think that's the point of not seeing Josh Brolin die. And I think that's the point of the end, is that this is a movie about futility in that a film. But in real life, if it's real, like they don't know about thriller conventions and people are going to fucking die at any time, like it can just happen. Sad and crazy. Mm. There it is. Yeah. First little indication of now is but still, like the radius on this thing can't be terribly good. So he's like, this has got to drive around. But where would he go? Probably a motel. So let's go to all the motels. This is great. It's like fucking with the berg. It's like, doesn't shoot the bird at once. Do you think he was aiming for? No, no, no. I think he was hitting the railing just to be funny. Like, I'm going to hit this railing just to see it fly off. That's exactly in the book, too. Yeah, there's the dude's a hell of a shot. Even miss. I mean, he misses quite a bit. Well, I mean, no, he hasn't yet. He misses again. Just throw it. But he could have shot That bird is like that. Sometimes I laugh too. Yeah, This is it. Like talking about the. Oh, man, look at his eyes. And I don't know how he better hide Tommy Lee Jones. One take Tommy. He likes. He likes one or one or two takes max. He push him anymore. He has some issues. Yeah, he's. He's a crazy dude. If you, you know, you got to be able to give it back to him a little bit. He was good on the shoot, everyone. He got along with everyone but you know that final monologue about the dreams? You know what he takes? He got that in? Yeah. Do. No, I'm asking, you know. Oh, no. You know. One, one and done, baby. Said he practiced it a lot, but it was one and done. That's nuts. That's nuts. Well, you know, if you're an actor like him, and then you come in there with that, like, Listen, I'm only doing this once or twice, then put it on the table right away. Yeah. And then if he's if he can bring it and it's clear that he does, then you know what, More power to him. Hell yeah. Ever see what he looks like when he was really young? He was very handsome. Yeah. Rapping. He played for There's a great documentary. Great documentary on Harvard versus Yale, like the football teams. And he was on one of the teams. His roommate was. Al Gore was. Yeah. Yeah, it was Al Gore. Yeah. Go watch early Tommy Lee Jones performances. He's a strapping young guy. I think a lot of people became familiar with him, like around The Fugitive. And then that's who we identify him as. You know, back in the day, he's always had it. He's always had it since he's been acting. You always remind me of Josh Hartnett. Really? Yeah. Was when he was younger. Josh Hartnett didn't have his gravitas. I don't think. I mean, just looks. You think so? Yeah, I don't know. Maybe. Right. All right, fair enough. Political headshot, I'd say Tommy Lee, he seems. I think they're, like, exactly the opposite. Tommy Lee's like, my height and, like, stocky, like when he was younger, like a stocky dude. I'll take you out like a linebacker. Josh Hartnett, Like the same facial feature, White Oak Brow, right. You want another room? I just love that we I mean, we were talking about that Tensing came up, you know, when he bought the tent poles. That's great. But he knows the people are there and they're after him. But it's like, where are they going to figure this all out? Oh, man. Like, see, at this point, like, you're wondering, was this Well, I mean, now he has no choice, but do you think he's questioning at all? Like, goddammit, should I just. They have left us all alone. I think this is a great question that we can apply that we can ask about him at any time. Yeah. Is he ever like, I guess I'd have to say no. I think he's made his mind that this is my money now. It did not belong to good people. It is mine. I'm not giving it up. Even when he has this phone call with him from the hospital and he's like, you came all new project. He's double tripling down over and over and over for I don't know for reasons he just wants that money. That's really seems to be the only justification for his actions. But to your point, does he ever consider like shows like bail? He's like, walk away, like go away. I mean, I guess now it is too late because he this dude knows who you are now. So, yeah, you know, even if he finds the money, as Woody Harrelson says, like you still still kill you based on principle, just for inconveniencing him. And this is just such a great like I mean, you talk about building the tension through, you know, just this beeping and this green light, like this movie literally could all be silent. It really could get you. Would you? Would you? Absolutely would. You could track everything that's happening and followed. We missed so many, like classic lines of dialog, but it would still play. Oh, yeah. Now he's found it. And then his intelligence was really cool. I mean, the first time I was watching this, I rarely like I got what they were doing kind of, but not really. Why. And then so when he like takes it shoes off and practices kicking open the door, it's like him practicing because he knows he has to go do that later to the to the Mexican guys. It's just brilliant. I love how slow he reverses just to he knows which door it is, but just to get right there. Yeah, he needs to know for sure. It's in there. That's his cabbage patch. I wonder if this hotel manager's like no one ever asks to look at these maps and to guys have in two days. Is that we're in the same day. Is that weird? Is there any. I think about very unusual. No, sir. No IEDs, man, that got that was that played for a good laugh in the theater. Like everyone laugh just seeing him try to do the same thing. I just I'm telling you, I could watch it like this all day, like doing the coat hanger thing. What's he doing? Why do you need the poles? I don't get it. And then it all clicks like, Oh, yeah, he's got to retrieve the bag. Yeah, because you wonder why he pushes it so far when he's put it in there. Yeah, I love that. Well, yeah, he's seeing how to do it. He's looking. They the room that he's about to break into that the guys are in. It's that exact layout. Yeah. That's why, you know, he wanted to look at the map and proximity and everything. So this is what it's going to look like. This is what he's going to have to enter into. You know, where could they be? They'll probably be one in the bathroom. It's just. But when you're watching this for the first time, you don't know what the hell is going on. What is he looking for? Oh, then he's got to be so careful when he starts making too much noise. People and you mean. Yeah, Yeah. How thick is Wall? Am I going to be able to shoot through this? These are all the things he's, like, working out, hiding places. All right, I got it. Just cause a cucumber stuck in this planning. Planning a casual triple homicide. No big deal. He cares. This is a Wednesday night for me. Does this guy have fun? Does he do anything for enjoyment, for fun? Hannibal Lecter likes, you know, the opera and classical music. What? I don't know. Is he just a vessel for destruction? I think. Yeah. Yeah, That's totally that's. I think that's it. Now that now the question is, though, who like somebody hired him or somebody like, you know, this isn't just a random, you know, bag of money it belongs to somebody that's bad. This he's getting this money. It's not his money, right? Yeah, he's it's he's hired for a job. That's the guy that killed Stephen Root. Like he hired him to get this money back. And then when he doesn't think it's going well, he hires the other crew. And clearly, Bardem does not like that at all. So that's why he kills him. But yeah, he's just a hired gun who's extremely good at what he does. Can you imagine if it's none of this work and he just kind of get the bag? Oh, and he's just like, Dammit, it's not a bitch anymore. Bulls anymore playing football? Yeah. I mean, I don't know. You just walk away. At that point, I think there would be like there's a very, very funny spoof movie and. Oh sure, sure did all the process things just does in this movie. They all click, but it just one step away from clicking. You're like, Damn it, it didn't work. Yeah, like he tried to jump into the bed. Yeah, it falls. Yeah. Yeah. It's so cool that he hears all this machine gunfire and, like, pauses because it's, you know, in the next room. This is great. I can't sleep on the job, buddy. Well, it's because he also doesn't know what this guy looks like. Who? No, they. Neither of them know what they look like. That's what's cool. They don't. They're just like ghosts to each other. So do you think right now he. He thought that that was him? No, no, no, no, no. I think he knows that the this crew of guys are in here. These. This crew. Yeah. This crew was also hired by the same people to kill Josh Brolin to find the money. Yeah, that's right. And sugar's like, this is bullshit, man. You sent to do this. So I'm. I'm doing this alone, and that means I have to take out whatever these guys are. Competition. Anything. Now, I knew that. I knew that. Yeah. This great how he. You know. You see his hand? Yeah. Close the shower curtain. Oh, God. This little gun he has rigged up like a silent silencer shotgun. It's just amazing. Never seen anything like it. Oh. Oh, Tough break. No, I. Yeah, The guy who hired him thinks that he's, like, lost control. That's why he sent these guys. And he's about to hire Woody Harrelson to go track him down, because, like, Sugar, I don't know. He hasn't found the money yet. Like, what's going on? And then that's a battle that he's doing. Like, why are you sending all these other guys to find me? You sent me on this mission. I'm doing it. But again, none of that is explained to us except with like little words of dialog. So he's looking for it, you know? Is it in here? Because he knows the money's here. That's what the tractor is. So he knows that the money is around because the tracker wouldn't be picking it up. But just how slow he does, like he's not tearing the room apart. What do you think the socks was? Maybe he didn't like that. He had to walk in bare feet outside, select the socks, or rather, that he had to walk in his socks outside. So they're gross now. So I don't want the socks. I don't know. Good question. Yeah, Good choice. But of course, he's intelligent, he's smart. So he's the only other person that gets the venture pick. Yeah. I mean, he's like, well, it's in here. It's like, puts it all together right there. Oh, that's brilliant. Oh, can holes in the vent. But now it knows. Now it. Now I got your number. I know that any place you're going to land, that's probably where you're going to put it. Which pay it off later. And like, another great thing you're here is like, we say, he's got the briefcase, so we know that you got it. Shouldn't be hitchhiking. Yeah, Very dangerous hitchhiking. How about stealing $2 million? Slightly more he had do doesn't even know the full scope. I love this. We've been in, like, this barren Texas, these Texas towns. Now we're just in this corporate environment. This is this is the crazy thing that I was like, in a weird way. Like, this is like. Like, like heaven's headquarters or something. Yeah. Now he's going to Simon because the elevators ascending, right? But I mean, this dude, this Stephen Rue here on the desk, he's an evil dude. This has all been his doing. Like we need our money back. God, I love Stephen Root so much. That's a tells his name and office space. He's got the red stapler. I mean, he's been around forever. He's just my super help bring his peace to the ground folks and Barry It's great Nat I mean just a fantastic character actor and then but yeah, Woody Harrelson coming in here and damn near stealing every scene he's in, which is a challenge. And I just. I love the way he plays this Carson guy. Confident. Wow. Get he'll put down a peg or two shortly here. Rehearse. What a career, Woody. Oh, yeah. God, I love him. He's still going to. Yeah. Yeah. Really? Never seems to be afraid of sugar at all. Just until he sees. When he sees him in person, he's like, Oh, I'm dead now. Yeah, but there's this confidence to him. It's cockiness swarming us that we're like, Okay, okay, maybe, maybe, maybe he is a good kind of vessel to take sugar down. Now, let's take Andy. The the line about the number of floors for the office building is really good. I count it from outside. It seems like a floor is missing because we'll look into it as the floor where the secret she goes down low. You know, most buildings don't have a 13th floor. I don't know about most, but some don't for superstitious reasons, I think some do. You guys are going to yell at me. I mean, now we are. You all yell if you want me to yell. Now we're I mean, we're setting up probably my favorite sequence in the movie. I think this is a masterful shootout chase action sequences, all of it like from when basically from when he finds this tracker, that's when he realizes like, oh, dear, things are things are going to go south. I'm talking any swinging dick very Barton Fink like whole good call. Very good call. I love that movie. That's one of my favorite Coens. Yeah, for sure. So weird. No. Yeah, well, okay, well, this time, as good as any. The Coens are not someone that we have really dived into too much throughout our time with the POV. It's true. Not for any good reason. We love them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is really our first like his eyebrow raising Arizona quite a bit in other episodes, Nicolas Cage performances, things like that. But what is your favorite Coen Brothers movie? This, this one? Yeah, this is the one I've rewatched the most times. I could do a one A-1 B with this in Fargo. That's that's fine. But Fargo has a tone that I I've seen I never seen before and I've seen attempt to be replicated so many times. It hasn't worked. It's so singular. But yeah, I think this and I do not think this is your standard Coen brothers, so this really stands out. I the two movies they made before this Intolerable Cruelty and the Ladykillers were they're not very good movies by anyone's standards. I think that even they would kind of admit that a little bit. They're these goofy comedies that they wrote for other directors and then decided to direct themselves. And then it really feels like, you know, Ladykillers is oh four, this is oh seven, just kind of a big break for them. They make a lot of movies and it feels like they're like, we got to we got to fucking get this right. Yeah. Like we just, we kind of delivered two duds because it was, it was. Oh, brother. Huge hit then Intolerable Cruelty and ladykillers, which didn't do so well. Yeah. No. And then this. Well, no more ducks in a row by a woman of Waffle House. It is. Both movies have their charms. Your favorite Coens are raising. Arizona is still my favorite. Good answer. I suppose it would really be a tie between this and Barton Fink. Yeah, Barton Fink is great. Yeah, I really, really love it. And then. And then. Then Fargo. I never have that. Okay, so we're already kind of get into it as well. I mean, you've got Miller's Crossing, you have a lot of people like a Serious Man, a lot of people like Llewyn Davis. I mean, you know, there are so many men, you know, Oh, brother. Is really funny. I love that. Oh, God, this is such a good sequence. Like, call down the front desk doesn't answer. I actually have, like, a weird, cool story. It's not cool. It's just a weird story about, like, this hotel and this location. You've been there? No, no. So this hotel is in Las Vegas, New Mexico. There is a Las Vegas. New Mexico. And the reason I know about that is that when I became a journalist, the for the first court case I had to cover was a murder, a mother daughter plan to murder their grandmother slash mom. And they did it. They stabbed there. It was awful. And then they fled in her car and they got caught in Las Vegas, New Mexico, really close to this hotel. They might have even been staying in this hotel. I'm not kidding. You know how they I call it. They were using the grandma credit card guide. She says it was a tough case. That's my relationship to Las Vegas, New Mexico. I well, there you have it, folks. I won some awards for those articles. I wrote three. Well, that was great. Tough case. They didn't you know, they went in there. You have it in your mad movie buffs. Yeah. Alex with her original right there. It happened. All right, let's get into this, though, because, you know, he's taken out the light bulb, you know, doing all that. And did you think he was going to get hit with like a knob or a lock? Well, I mean, I assume that I mean, it's just a wooden door, right. And we know that the way sugar is going to like we know he's got the cattle prod. So I'm assuming that something is going to come out and hit him. Right. But like, you can feel that when it hits him, you know. Oh yeah, the damage does later like it, like it gets down to his bone I think. And, and I'm trying to think of like I don't think I would position myself right in front of the door. I would not because he could shoot through it. And yeah, it happened. But I'm sure he's also thinking to that oh man, it's just so terrifying. It's so terrifying. But he I don't think it's fully scared yet. I still think no, no, I don't think he's ever really scared. But I mean, who's afraid of the dark? You're afraid to talk to Moth? No. Oh, God, You can feel that. And this is just this in terms of the geography, the production design of this, you're never lost. Like, okay, so he just jumped down and then really crazy move. Like, I'm going go back into the hotel to go out the back like, it's wild. It's, it, it's sometimes you kind of got it. Like, think, like what would be the move that you wouldn't think the other person would do. But this is a little too close for comfort, though. Like, yeah, I mean, it just all the decisions and like we never Oh, you don't see where sugar is at this about just this because his plan just failed but now he knows that he's out back. Oh it will end in he got shot Well he got shot with the the lock. That's like damage from the lock so that's up. Oh that's really luck. Blunt object hitting you and just leaving this tremendous damage empty The street is. Yeah. This is just some small town there isn't going to be anyone out this late, but he's going to make his move. You know, he's had a way for the car. And again, the lack of music, like it's so tense because, you know, this dude is here, but he's like, hiding because he's smart. So where is he? Like, what's the move? And so, I mean, like, how silent the town is because he don't have music. So it's really letting you know. It's like, No, this is all there is. And like, that's how the way this guy gets taken out. This poor driver. Yeah. You like, hear the shots. We kind of see the damage of the shot a little before we hear that type of thing. It's so cool because far away, look at this. Are you sure? The tough. Oh, Jesus. Yeah, I'll see that. What? That was there. I want to had your name on it. I mean, this is just brilliant. And then the way like you everyone watching this, like you think Josh rolling like he's beat. Like, how were you going to get out of this? And then not only does he get out of it, but he gains a little like, confidence. And he thinks at one point he has sugar in his sights. But then the back and forth of it, I mean, it's just so cool. Like it's never no one's ever down. Yeah, we'll be hard to drive a car from the passenger seat with a dead driver. Well, yeah, that's the thing. Like, it's like it's. It's like you don't. You don't have much control. Okay? So bloody, huh? Stan, You're like Eddie Guerrero from Judgment Day 2004. The touching that if anyone's listening, who knows? He. You know, he's the one you showed me. It is. Oh, my God. That thing was fucking brutal. I mean, yeah, part of you wonder is, like, how does Llewellyn manage to, like, stay awake and make it over the border, losing this much blood? But I love this. Like he you know, he's assuming. Okay, this crazy bastard is going to think I'm in this truck. So when he opens the truck, that's my move. But the fact that he doesn't back down from sugar is like I don't think he really knows who is messing with yet. Look at this motherfucker. His hands are up. It's good. Is it up? It's like I've seen his face. This entire face. But he moves as the quickest we see him move when he jumps. It's a really, really good jump. He's like a cat. Yeah. This kind of agility. But he definitely hits him once because that's the injury he has to work on. Oh, you guys is covered in blood. It's such a good. And then it's also really cool that Sugar has it in terms of like this night, this event given up and all this come back to this. Yeah, I'll come back and this doesn't have to end tonight. I'm hurt. He's hurt. Well, that's the best part is just sort of like, all right, this was the battle. And and there's no point in continuing if you're hurt. Like, you got to like, you got to protect yourself first. Yeah, like, yeah. And he that clearly something that he knows because he kind of shuts everything down. Yeah. Like, I don't know, like a day or two to heal himself up and anyone, you know where physicality is important, anyone who is really good at their job would know that. Like, you can't be going out there with all this blood, boss. And then watching himself, he'll heal himself up. Bardem It's like one of my favorite scenes. This is a great interaction as his kids. Yeah, it's so believable to like, even the bear that him walking into Mexico is just so damn funny. It's holding the bureau. We haven't been talking like I was going to say. We haven't talked about Deakins a lot and so good with the use of subtle color, like look at the blues compared to the yellows. So we get like yellows in the foreground here. Often there's blue or white in the background. He's just so good at that match with the red playing off his face. This is an amazingly shot movie, obviously one of his banner years because he got nominated for this and Jesse James Best JJ JJ Oh, God, look at that. Yeah, but he still has a little fight left in it too, though. You can tell like, Oh, yeah. You know, he's not just going to give them too much, or if they try to take advantage of him in any way, like take more money, he'll he's still got a little fight left out of it. But hold the money. This is also kind of a foreshadowing of what happens to Harvey Martin. And then look at that fucking bone. Yeah. Gives him like, 100 bucks for the jacket. You can have my jacket, Mr. Aloe. The French skin, the beer, the dessert. I mean, you know, one scene, they're dynamic, three of them. It's just so good. They're casting the Coen brothers. Casting is absolutely incredible. Yeah, they Never. They never miss no to their leads to the small, like one line or parts. They're always, always so good. I mean, even with a movie like Intolerable Cruelty, like that, like that movie, it's its biggest positive Is George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones. Yeah. And even like Billy Bob showed up and he, like, eats the the prenuptial agreement. Like, it's funny. It's funny. There's there's some lightness to it. Can such a gamble he's going to throw it down here in this little patch of bushes. Do you know who edited this movie? Fellow named Roderick James Roderick. James is a pseudonym for Joel and Ethan Coen. That their own movies? Yeah So they were nominated for the Oscar for this, which is pretty cool. I thought the Coens had edited their own stuff just under a pseudonym. Pretty cool. They're very, very good editors. They that's something. They also don't get enough credit for. They really know how to stitch a sequence together. I mean, incredibly good timing and the word stitch for that, for that, for that. Oh, I did that on purpose. Yeah. I never really that hurt. And this is so easy to get in. Hard too hard to get out. It's like, Hey, man, the looks so believable. I don't care. You know, it's a fucking covered in blood is like, I'm not going to fuck it. Then you get this little music. It's like the only the only bits of music you get. I know. And it's funny, like, this is a funny moment in the movie when you see these guys and they see him and just pause, Oh man, I love these guys so much. Such a Coen brothers shot right here. Oh yeah. Pulling and pulling back that angle. Woo! Because they're like, Oh, let's go help this guy out. You know, it's like 530 in the morning. He's probably drunk. It's a little more than that. Oh, great. Yeah. This pharmacy scene, I mean, we're going to go for five, 6 minutes here from here to win. And when we're watching him clean himself up where there's no dialog, we're just watching him. And we have to we have to figure out what he's doing. But none of it. It's like far fetched. Like you get it all. I'm not saying I would have the courage to do this like the gas tank, but we get like, what he's doing and how it all works in the way he just has so much confidence going into that pharmacy, knows what he's looking for. The antibiotics. Yeah. He just needs a distraction. Enough. That's the first we see. Oh, shit. He didn't get tagged like he's hurt. Yeah, but you don't even see it on his face because he's the ultimate bad ass as. Yeah. Great shot from underneath. God, I love it. Comes. Looks fake to me. Honestly. It just, I don't know, looks so crisp. The blue of this guy's incredible, But also watching him do something like this, it's like, Oh, this is not the first time this guy's done Nikki's. This is a pro. Like, even knows that Leave the top of, like, the cotton swab thing in the on top of the gas tank. Like, it's just all these little details. So genius now how Cormac McCarthy thought of all this shit that's. Like, incredible to think of all this stuff, all this process stuff and put it in a book. Oh, my God, That was one hell of a wound. He has to. But watching how he plays off his paint, meaning, which is like, barely like it doesn't even you can tell it's hurting him, but those injuries would be, like, devastating to most any person. Oh, yeah. Just like, flinch walking past. You know, he was scared. Yeah, because, you know, this is too big and he gets what he needs and he gets out, doesn't make a fuss. And yeah, I mean, it's again, another favorite scene him on this. What, Just watching him do all this and you get like all of it, I don't know all the terms for everything he's using all the medical terms but I get everything he's doing. But moreover, I think one of the intentions of this is to show that even this devil incarnate figure has such a debilitating injury, he can handle it with a grace, grace and ease because this this would be so brutal to heal. It would be so fucking painful. Even taking his pants obviously be burned. And do you, like singed into you? Pouring water into a wound this size would be, I mean, any normal probably pass out. But as we get, is that just a little like, oh oh, I mean, it's brilliant. Oh, this is going to it's an Oscar winning performance, you know, for all these reasons. It just the patients, we understand he's doing in some odd way. Yeah, that's that's a tough shot in some odd way. Like you're not really you're you're rooting for everyone in the movie and almost no one like, I kind of want sugar to catch up with him. But yeah, yeah, I'm like, do I? I want Josh Brolin to get away. Like, I kind of want Tommy Lee Jones to resolve it all. It's just crazy. Yeah. Yeah. None that before. Before, because that would be that'd be tough. So I think that's what he's doing. But also, just like. Like disinfecting it. Yeah. Oh yeah. Big time with that iodine and in there it's all healed up. It's packaged all right to take a little rest. I love it. This is probably your, like, antibiotic. Make sure it doesn't get infected. And that's it. Then we're done. It's remarkable that it never feels. It's remarkable that I look forward to these scenes like, oh, we're going to see him. I'm like, okay, I'm going to yeah, I'm going to go use the bathroom. Like, No, these are that. This is like where it lives. She's great. The way this like, assistant plays off him. You ever thought of, like, favorite Tommy Lee Jones performance ever going on that road? I mean, this is really up there for me. He's great. Yeah, this is. This is huge. He was actually nominated this year for for best actor for In the Valley of Elah, a movie in performance. I like. He's really good in it. But I mean, he's just he's so reliable. Like, you can just rely on him to be Tommy Lee Jones. This could be right up there with my favorite, though. This are the fugitive. Yeah. So fugitive. I don't care. No, I love that he doesn't want to call his wife because she might tell him to come home, and I just might. Something like that. Mm. Yeah. You get your ass out of here. So I don't know if people a lot of people get this, but these are like the, the guys from, you know, down there, all those dead bodies and at the drug deal gone wrong. And you know, this guy, you got to wrap me up for properly securing a load. It's like those are dead bodies. Dude, I No way. Ed Tom, you get your ass out here. I love that. The heat has none of it. Yeah. Great line delivery. Yeah. Yeah, there it is. But the flowers are is dynamic. I love this, but here, I mean, we're well over halfway into the movie, and this is, like, the most we're going to learn about Llewellyn. You know, that welder tired hardass. He'd go with that Southern accent. Yeah. Howard Holiday. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Oh, God damn. I got name. It's a great little kind of it's a great little touch when he takes his head off when he finds out they both served in Vietnam together. Was that make me your buddy numskull. You got to wonder if he did give him the money. It took me about it. Right? Exactly. You're not hard to find. You got to wonder if he gives him the money right now. Would that let Brolin's character off the hook in Sugar's eyes? I doubt it. I think too much. Too much has happened now. But I mean, even I'm just going down these rabbit holes. Like, even if he did give him the money right here, I still think Woody Harrelson is toast. I still think I know Bardem showed up tonight to the hotel. I feel like the priority was switch. I think Sugar would go for the money. Money's always first, but then he's got to tie up the loose ends like the wife is a loose end because he's recovered the money and the job is done like it's done. It's it's light a little bit. However much Brolin skimmed off to pay for all these. But the money is delivered and he's still because of the inconvenience and because he promised Brolin that, you know, if you turn yourself in now, she's free. I'll let her go. But if you do this, I'm not going to have a choice. And he just sees it through. So, yeah, you're right. The money would come first, but then everyone would end up going kill your wife. Yeah, you're not. You're not dealing with yokels here, buddy. These are like cartel professionals. I love that. The hubris. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's funny because everything Woody Harrelson says here is absolutely true. Like, he's just speaking truth. He will kill you for inconveniencing him. Just all this stuff. Yeah. And the entire time, too. It always feels like even though, like Josh Brolin is handling himself very well in this battle, you don't really feel like he's going to win it. No, you don't. He's. He's just a little too in over his head because he's one man alone against a dangerous organization because most of the people after him are all work for the same company, the same organization. Even if it's in this Texas high rise, it's doing some dirty shit and he's on his own and even though he has street smarts, he has intelligence, he knows how to work a scene and retrieve this money. But yeah, he's he's definitely not cut out for this. He is not Sugar's equal like he thinks he is. Thank you. You remember her from Trainspotting? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. She's a Scottish actress. Her accent work is greatness. Yeah. I always want to see her in more things. Yeah, she's great. She's always great. She's. She's, like, perfectly cut out for a Coen brothers movie. Like, once she changes up the ending a little bit, they let her from the book. I mean, in the book, it's she's definitely more weepy, like, Oh, please, please don't. But in this, like, she she really gets to own that scene and come from a place of she's scared but it's very patient. She's trying to be like you do not you don't have to do this like what you're saying doesn't make sense. I like that they went with that direction. Don't turn her into a victim. Really. You know, they let her go out strong, so to speak. And there we go. That's when we're learning about what that devices pointed point man and steer. I love that line one as well in the battle main verse steer the God his delivery like he never even took a pause there. Yeah, Great silence right there. Mm. Can you though, Kenya Tom There it is. Here we go. This is kind of figure it out. Mm hmm. That's our explanation. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So good. What's your favorite Woody Harrelson performance? Man? That's tough. I mean, I go back to White man. Can't jump. That's my favorite. But that's what made me really, really love him. Like, I love him in that he just like I love him. And white men can't jump. He's good in the messenger. He's good in three billboards. He's great in this. I mean, it's just I don't know. I've always really, really liked him and had an appreciation for him. I liked his laid back style. I think it's a very I think he's an actor who's very aware of what he can and can't do. And I really, really respect that. And he surprisingly can do a lot. Exactly. Yeah. You can go from something like white men can in when he's younger with the look that he had then to something like True detective which is probably fantastic. Yeah that's I mean that's his longest performance definitely. And just plays it so well I guess. Yeah. It sucks that we have to compare it to like TV and movies now, but I mean, yeah, you got People versus Larry Flynt, Natural Born Killers, Jesus, Zombieland, Zombieland, of course. Great in that he is all This is one of my favorite shots. Just a smile. Oh, 8 hours and you could cut it here. That can't be him. No fucking he feels. Yeah. Now it is this, uh. So now this is such a good moment because we see this Carson basically do an attempt. Attempt to do and say everything that he knows will not work. Yeah, like, I can just leave. I can just go away. You don't have to do this to the point where Shaggy even calls him out like everyone says the same thing. Like you should just. You should just accept that there be more dignity in it. It's so, you know, with that fight or flight, he just goes, it's this default setting of, yeah, I can bind with money when he knows he can't. Yeah. Then hate him Like do you think these three three letters are going to save you. Yeah. What if we just cut to them, like looking for it together? Yeah. And they find it, and he just kills them. They're. That's what makes it. You're so smart. He doesn't need to know where something is right now, but he knows where it's going to end up. So I can play some. I feel it's great. This death scene is just perfect to like it. The phone's ringing for just a little too long, and then we don't see him die. Yeah, you know, and Woody Harrelson, like. Like even with them sitting down in the chair when the scene starts, it feels like a man who knows that this is it. Yeah. He sits down with a certain weight, like, God damn it. I think by this point the violence has I don't know when the turning point is like maybe it's after he's cleaning his wound, but the violence changes in the movie now because we start to see less on death violence. Like my chicken coop guy, one of my favorite characters. We all see him die. The accountant in the office. We don't see him die. We do see Steven Root die. But I mean, we're in the room when Woody Harrelson dies here, but we don't see it. So what's up? Well, I was going to say. Well, Nathaniel, you were saying, No, that's it. That's it. I just think it's interesting that the movie has shown violence, not like in a cool way, but in a very realistic way. And now they're going, we know how lethal this dude is. Now we don't need to keep seeing him kill people over and over. We can just assume that he has. Yeah. What's up? Well, I was going to say is when you said it's the rule that you followed led you to hear of what use was the rule that's that like encapsulates the whole movie basically it enhances the whole movie. But then Woody Harrelson, his character's response is, You know how crazy you are. Well, I think, like, that's actually a valid question. It is. It is his philosophical. Yeah. Like, yeah, what was the point if it still led you to hear right now and that's something that like for that to be the response you know how crazy you are like that like puts his feet up to avoid the blood. It's such a nice touch. Yeah he doesn't like but mean he's he's a guy that's what it was. It was the socks. That's why he took them off because there was probably blood on it. Yeah. And the people and he doesn't want. There we go. Hell, yeah. We figured it out. Yeah. He's not like Daniel Plainview. Doesn't mind a little blood on his foot like he's wearing red pants. It's great. It's a great touch. Some style. The sugar? Yeah, He does a hell of a hairstyle. We can. You know that. Jesus, that jacket. Oh, this is such a good interaction. Back to the camera. I love that you're in that hospital across the border. I knew it was river Perfect. Yeah. Does not casual like the thing with sugar? It's like a character like him. This dude never lies. Like everything he says. It's like he's telling you how it is. Like if you bring it to me, I. Yeah. I cannot, like, I'm going to kill you. I'm just going to. But I won't kill her. So there is some odd, terrifying and moral code to him that I don't know, I suppose one could work with. Yeah, it's provided you get the coin toss right? Yeah. Because you can't. But they're going to end it all, you know, if he just brought it to and placed it at his feet. I love that special project. Got to move that one down. Yeah. I would say that was a he like looks at him like wow, can you believe. Yeah. There's like this guy, this guy right? This fucking guy. I love when Delahunt chuckles comedy. JONES You know, that's all right. I left you sometimes. He definitely has. It's like I'm I'm about I got one foot out Dorset senior aide is here I'm about to retire all right the Delon's great He's he's also an Jesse James member. Yeah. Yeah, he is. Yeah. Good year for him. It was. I love that scene with him and Jesse James the hitman Brad Pitt when he looks like Deathly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's. It's so good They play it he plays it so well It's kind of got like a Peter Krause kind of look to him too. Oh yeah. Yeah. I have to be so real. If he's on that network show, he's doing okay. So he's, he's doing well. Sometimes I, sometimes I go like, Oh, what happened to him? Then you do a little Google search and you're like, oh, 250 episodes on NCIS or whatever it is. And you're like, Oh, they're getting paid. It's fine. If I'm not mistaken, I think he's on that 911 show. Okay. I was actually going to ask that if that's what it was. I think he is, too. And that show does well. Jennifer Love Hewitt on that right. She was, I think, a killer. She stole it. Oh, bummer. This is a great I love this guy so much. Who do you think gets it? Classic Coen brothers casting again. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Like like you really do. Wonder, like, where he picks these people out. Like, just. You have a great casting director, you know? Yeah. Like how they find these people. I often wonder, too, if they're even actors, Some of them. I've looked up a lot of people in this movie and they are like the guy who sold me boots and everything. They're in like they just do these size roles, you know, they in movies and they that's like, don't you? What the hell of it? That's what they know they can do. This is also another cool thing because, you know, 1982 tours in Vietnam, do a guy like this could mean something. And that's all it would take to let you back in. Yeah, I love that detail. Not only is going to let him in, he's going to help him in the town. Yeah? Yes, sir. This guy, this is a great that lives there. He's working out for you, right? His prints because he doesn't Boots. He sold him. Oh, good. No, sir. Yes, it is. I really did not think he was just going to find this money again. I didn't. I thought I was going to go down there and that was going to be a thing. And like I don't know. Javier Bardem would have found it when I saw you had it on one day and we're still moving here. Where is this going to end? Yeah, he talks to Mother. Yeah, he checked her out. Yeah. Yeah. It was like a checkout or like a nervousness thing. Yeah, it was. He's not, you know, he's not the the best dude in that way. I would know it because, well, because it is almost alluded to when he gets to that motel and he's talking to the girl, that almost seems like you could argue that maybe he actually pursued that in a sexual manner. Yes. And this is something we can go on for. All right. Because what I think happens is that, you know, beer leads to more beer and then we slow fade out from that. I think the way the crime scene is staged, when we see it after she is shot up in the pool. So she's in the pool, shot up. He shot up in his room, I believe. I guess my implication is that he did go over there. Gun less gun free. The money's in the room and he went and was having beers with this lady. And then these cartel guys pull up and. He tries to make a grand escape to his room and gets, you know, for the guns to get the guns, and then they kill her. He's running and then they kill him. But again, the fact that we don't see that is just and I also love the sugar. Just takes a little time out of his day to go kill his boss or contact. Like, it's like, yeah, that's what I'm going to do because this is his code. That's it. We definitely see him die. So that's a it's an on screen death. It's a little tough. He looks a little pleased by it, but like, I don't know if he kills his poor count behind him. But, you know, he asked, Do you see me? Which kind of leads me to believe. Yeah, people see me and get away with it. But we don't need to see this poor bastard get it too. You know, counting. This is so good. He is. No, that's wrong. Foolish. Hmm. Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm. So you sending all these people after me messed me up. Delayed me? I don't think he lets this guy go. I know some people have speculated that. I can't imagine he does. What would be the point of letting him go? Uh, yeah, as a kid. Yeah, I would. I would probably say, Oh, I love her. Beth Grant is great. I love Beth Grant. Yeah, I would. I would venture say that he does not let him go. Yeah. I mean, the other guy's dead. Yeah, I guess that's a rhetorical question. That depends. Do you see me like, Of course you see me. Yeah, exactly. I think there's a little like, there's a little humor. Like, Yes, I see you. Then you are going to die because people who see me don't live as great. No, no, but here they are. They're on her. This guy's great when he goes up to Beth Grant, so I know it well, it's just kind of stalking behind. Everyone is really smart. The street smarts in this. They all know how to play it. Like, why are you going to go intimidate an old lady? You don't need do that. Just if you offer a little help, you can find you can you can get all the information you need. What hotel? That's a great pronunciation that actually lives up to. I. That is what's the word. And he does it. He doesn't remember it, so it catches himself. Okay. I've definitely used that before in my life. I mean, it's amazing. It's amazing. It is true. That's the story I to start describing blond that way. Yeah, that's actually great. It's like, yeah, I can't sort every detail, but it's certainly true. It is a story that's perfect. Yeah. Yeah, I love that too. Like, he's so serious. I will not army, man. This is one of my favorite scenes. I don't. I don't know why. I just always love this. It's like the kindness of strangers. The generosity of strangers. Stop and help. This guy only knew you need a He even looks kind of confused, like, this guy's going to help me, neighbor, that's all. At such a southern small town thing. Yeah, they're all. I'll help you out because one of my deep cut No country quotes which I reference in the beginning. You got called me a couple of weeks ago and that's how I answered the phone. I never got there towards the. Yes, right. I was like, I know what you're quoting, right? An airstrip or airport. Yeah, that's so casual. He has no idea he's dealing with so other I've been there but again, like this guy's been nice. I don't need to see this guy die. Yeah, like when he car washing, right? Huh? This this hard cut to this is. That's good. Yeah. Cool with that. Like, you know, we don't need to sensationalize violence. You don't need to show me that this dude is evil, knows how to kill, like, totally get it. Hellboy. I could. I could. I could see it like you could see him dying. I can be okay with it. Yeah. I'm not offended by the kindness of strangers. I love how we never cut in for a close of her. We stay with Llewellyn the whole time. But yeah, this is probably. I mean, this is the end of the most controversial parts. My so my thing with this is I've never hated this. I've never been mad at it when it happened. First time I saw this, I was just stunned. And I'm like, Wait, huh? Did I did I like, miss something? This is crazy. And then I just remember leaning back in my seat and going, That was a fucking choice. Well, that was a choice. And if you're really paying attention and you're really following the filmmaking language, like there is a very, very clear indicator of, of a change because like a baton passing. Yeah, it's a, it's a crossfade to a long one from him. So never of you. The whole movie. Sorry, it's not even a crossfade. That was a fade to black and then harsh ends with Ed Tom with Tommy Lee Jones. And he's just witnessing all this action, so he's smart enough to go, I can't chase these cartel guys. I'll die. And if you're paying attention like that is a big enough choice to make to all of a sudden indicate it's a reset. Yeah, Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's. Our movie's kind of resetting. From here to the end. Were mostly going be with Ed. Tom. I mean, I was just stunned, but, yeah, you have to see this. You have to look closely because the, you know. Oh, yeah, she's in the pool. There she is. Yeah. And this clearly didn't go handheld much long. Yeah, Yeah. We haven't gotten him handheld much in this movie yet. There it is. We don't even punch in for a close. It's like he can get his man. Yeah. I can't say I ever had a problem with it. I just. And now when I am on several rewatches and with 15 years of living with it, I just, you know, I understand why they did it. More confounding. And I've seen I've written entire essays about on my blog that people still comment on. I wrote this eight years ago is when Tommy Lee Jones makes the decision to go back to this room. There's so many questions there, like why is he going back to the room? Where the fuck is Javier Bardem? We cut to a shot of him and he looks like he's in the room hiding and then just not nearly cut to the vent. And the indication is that the indication for us, because Tommy Lee Jones doesn't know about all this vent business vindication for us is that Anton Chigurh did find this hotel like he's been back here probably now. He's like, going there now, did get the money. So the money is officially been retrieved to the person was supposed to find it. None of that's ever explained to us, but it's a really, really interesting scene to play off, like, where is sugar? Because he's not in the room. So there's really some like almost visual playfulness to it because it's not inherently like reality unless sugar is in the other room, which could be the case. But then why would he have been in that room? I don't know. Didn't we want to do a whole pot? I did want to do a whole podcast on this. I want to do a whole podcast on that one scene only because I still only link the three I wrote. Like, okay, like, all right, pose it to me because I got to admit, I'm not following here. You'll follow when the scene comes. All right? To me, something. Something is going on. He's going to make the decision to go back to that hotel room. And I think it's a little clear in the book, that he is going back to find sugar because he thinks he's going to be there. Now, in the book, if memory serves, I don't even know if he actually goes into the room, but he stakes out the parking lot because he realizes that sugar has to be in one of these cars, like he has to be in the parking lot. So I'm going to park farther down the street, call for backup and when everyone gets here will take him down. So they do that. And then sugar is nowhere to be found. He's not in any car. So for the movie, what they've done here just kind of watch this closely. You know, they just referred to him as a ghost. So Tommy Lee Jones is going to go back to this room and it looks like Javier Bardem is in there, but he's not. So. My question to you is, where is Javier Bardem? Right? It can't be in Ed Tom's imagination because he has no idea what Anton Chigurh it looks like. Yeah. So it's not like he's envisioning like, is this dude behind the door? So it's just it's one of those it's a very quick thing, but it's it's trippy. That's why I wanted to break it out. It worked better on a blog. As you could see screenshots, they all link to that article and people still comment on it. It's awesome. I've got every theory imaginable that people think that's what it is. People think and Tom's greedy and wants early retirement, so he's going to look for the money. I mean, that's not really my reading. Yeah, that's not my read on it. I think he's going to see if I can catch this ghost. Like, where is this guy? But then there are I believe it's two shots. We're going to get two cutaway shots of Bardem waiting on in hand. Yeah, looking relatively scared. So where is he? These are small rooms. He's not hiding in any closet or anything. So what does that shot mean? All right, so where's the money? Right now? The money is in Anton Sugar's possession. We are going to know that when we see that the vent has been opened with, like, coins, because that's presumably where Josh Brolin hit it and then went out now to go have a few drinks with the lady. And that's why Anton Chigurh knows. Like even after the cartel came and the whole murder happened, whatever, Chigurh got here and took it, he knows it's an event so he can go back alone and get it. And I think Tommy Lee Jones is probably like, Yeah, we never did find that money. Where the fuck is that? Okay, so he's so he's been there already? Yes, Yes. He found the body. Yes. Well, no, no, no. But even right there, the door is open like the. Exactly. Yes. And he knows that. So he's putting it so. All right. So where is he? Where is he? Because he looks terrified like this dude's about to walk. Well, he looks like he's ready. He's hiding. Yeah. Okay. And Ed and Ed, Tom knows, like, I know that this dude has been here. Is he still here? So right now he's like, I could open this door and this fucking die. To me, that looks like sugar is looking from the opposite side of the keyhole. Sees a little movement from Ed Tom. So he's ready to go down. Ed Tom's ready for whatever's in here. He's about to open this door, and nothing's in there. So the question is, what do those shots? It's the only, the the, the interesting, like, kind of nagging part of this is what do those insert shots of Anton Chigurh mean? Where is he? People have said he's behind the door. I definitely don't believe that. I think it was hit him or something. I think he probably just what it killed him because he's holding that satchel. So like that big dude with that satchel with that weird shotgun thing, you can't hide behind that door. So that's the question where sugar? Well, I'll tell you what, my read on it was just there was because there's no other cause he goes into here. So this is the only other hiding spot in there. And he turns on the light. Window's locked. I mean, I suppose maybe he went, if we're talking literal, that's the thing. This, this is, this could be the only non-literal part of the movie, which I think is interesting. Or because it's locked. So he didn't go out the window. So where the fog is, what did that shot mean? Which I guess I guess the closet in the closet open. It's an open closets. All right. So the way that I looked at it was from the way that the cuts went is because when Tommy Lee was looking at the ball and he was looking afraid and then it cuts to sugar. Now, granted, yes, you're right. Tommy Lee has never seen much sugar, it looks like. Yes, but it struck me as Tommy Lee was scared that sugar was in there waiting in. Lying in. Wait. Yeah, because which is very popular theory like that. So that would be Tommy Lee Jones is imagining. Yes, that would be his man. He's behind this door like this guy's here. The ghost, the devil is. He goes, Yeah, because also we don't see face fully. Like it's just that one little sliver of his eye. That's enough for us to know is the audience that that it's him, but not enough for him to know because you just know what his face looks like. Right? I think that is one of the more popular theories or the one I kind of laid out that, I mean, a lot of people say he's in the other room. You know, he's just in the room next door and he decided to hide in there. But it's like, how did he get that open? You'd have to shoot out that lock, too. So, you know, it's all these. Yes, all that. And the only reason I say it's the one that I thought was because it it's clear that like there's a there's a closer shot of the second time. We cut to Javier Bardem in there and it's right after we cut back to Tommy. He's the camera's in the exact same position. He's it doesn't zoom in closer to Tommy Lee. So you see how this one make for a cool, like, 45 minute part? You break it down on the finish going because the look of fear, it almost intensifies again when we cut back to Tommy Lee and then we cut back to Javier Bardem and we're closer. Yes. So that indicates to me that Tommy, that's is Tommy's imagination. His fear is if I open this door, he's going to be there lying in wait, and I have to deal with this ghost. And that's fair. That that is a fair read. It just begs the question that it doesn't make logical sense because he's never seen what he looks like. I'm willing to forgive that. I don't care. But I. I don't know. Is it just in his imagination or. I don't know. It's so mysterious. Well, what's your fucking take on it? I mean, some people have just said he's in the other room. I don't know. I think it probably is a manifestation of fear. Whether that's Ed Tommy's fear or just the whole story's fear, I don't think he's there. I think he has been there, but I don't think he's there. That's what I think makes those shots of him so compelling. And if it I don't know if it is a little bit of a trick like it's supposed to be. Ed Tom's imagination, I can forgive that that I mean, everyone has like a different theory for it. It's really, really interesting how far people took it in the comments section of this article. It's really cool, but we're kind of glossing over this incredibly moving and telling scene about. I mean, this is when we learn the most about it. Tom I love this kind of forlorn delivery of the God coming in my life. This is when the theme of, the movie to me is really settling in the futility of life, of not seeing Josh rolling die, and these old men accepting kind of who they are. How about the fucking production design on this place. Cats. You can see this is a place you can smell when you walk in. You can just smell it. It's got summer once upon a time in Hollywood. I love that orange. I feel overmatched. Mm hmm. How fresh? That coffee you met once upon a time in Hollywood. The George house. Yeah. Yeah. Thought so. We got explaining to people. I'm sorry, guys. Yeah, there I am, yelling at you again to this ghost that this guy's great. They play this so well. They both do. Just playing it off each other. The details that are being passed here, I think, you know, some movies go on and they they get more thrilling as they go in the violence. Like we're leading up and it's getting more and more explosive. This we had that horrific, violent scene of strangling that poor cop to death in like minute four in the violence is relatively toned down. And now we turn into a much more philosophy, A whole movie about aging. Yeah, life about placement. Where are you? You know, I'm older. I'm older now. And my dad ever was like, this is all very important. And like, talking to this, talking to this guy and hearing his perspective, like that deal with death, man. Well, I mean, it's a tough thing to deal with, but it is inevitable to make good choices, stay in a correct lane. Don't get shot with the shotgun, with the muzzle on it. You know, don't take the money. Don't take the money. Skim a little off the top. Those stacks there was like four or five stacks of hundreds. Take that right off the top. That's because there's probably the stacks, probably ten grand each. 50 grand more grand than the Whelan's ever had in his life at one time. It's all I'm saying. It's it's on sale. Don't get greedy, Emily. That I know. Look at that stare and notice that this guy is, like, not moved in the scene. You're. This is where you are. You're in the chair. It's like, this is a great little kind of one act play. Yeah, I could watch the whole entire movie with you. Yeah, it's so McCarthy. It's so. And this is great. Also, like, we didn't need to see Grandma die, you know? Mama die, it's just we get it. What a poor life she's led ever since her dipshit husband, so. Yeah, Yeah. At times that. I mean, that one act is just like, ah, the ripple effect of it all. Mm hmm. I mean, how many people that hurt? Look, how many people have fucking died. I think the biggest. Like, I'll never forget the moment in the theater because I saw this, like I said, opening weekend, it was sold out E Street Theater in D.C.. My favorite theater I referenced a few times on the spot. But he comes out and checks his feet. Everyone just went, Oh, man, Yeah, but this is someone I definitely don't want to see die. I know you're twisted bastard, and you're cool with seeing, like, Chicken Man die. But she. Well, I'm not. I'm not saying that I want to see it. I'm just saying if they're showing it, I'm like, I'm like, I don't think I would have ever said, Oh, we didn't need to see that. No, I know, I know. It's messing with you the way these two play this scene. I mean, you could argue this is the scene, the main thing that helped him win the Oscar like the lighting of it. Everything is in service to their performance. Is stillness. Again, no music. And he almost seems to get a little like he's I don't know, to me seems to have a little trouble like following through with this. And she's really challenging him. And he's like, No, I have to do this. Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. Tough line. Do you think she called the coin toss? Yeah, because I cause she goes, you know, I can't do it. So I was the wrong one because maybe she just didn't. And he's like, All right, well, I gave you a chance. My everything she says it's true. Yeah, exactly. So crazy. But I gave my husband your word. And then to hammer home, like. Yeah, like your husband had a chance to save you, and he didn't, But she didn't even know all that, man. I know, but in a weird way, it's. It's on the complete opposite side of the coin, But it's, it's the of the coin of like if someone's at war and then and then someone's like, all right, I give my word I'm going to give my papers to your other like I'm going to reach out to you. Oh the Saving Private Ryan thing. Like, I'll give the letter to your dad. Yeah, yeah, sure. It's just like a horrific version of that. Like, yeah, he's a man of his words. Yeah. Yeah, he's a man of his word. Yeah. Yeah, they were some was like a nope. I'm going to. I'll take care of your wife, you know, whatever. Like, this is a no. I'll, I'll kill your wife. Take care of her. Yeah. Yeah, I'll take care of your wife and says the same thing. I mean, he doesn't, but because he gave his word, I love this. He seems like all right. Fine. You can be a coin toss for this, you know? Yeah. Best I can offer. But I love her defiance of, like. No, like, I can't do that. I don't know. I don't think she does. Now, you're probably right. That's great. I think she's only supposed to be, like, 19. Look at that date when he young, tragic life. I love the look on his face as he's so encouraging. He's like, No, like, I like I'm giving you a chance. Like, this can work out for you. You know, you just doesn't get it. Yeah, he just doesn't wait, huh? No. This is the way it goes. Like you have to do this. Do you have any idea how crazy you are? Such a great shot. So simple little foreshadowing the kids there. Yeah, You're right. She. No, there's. She didn't call it. Yeah, she's a moment of principle. Yeah, I mean, I get it, but. Oh, brutal. Wiping his feet, making sure there's no blood on it. No, that's what. That's when everyone in the theater was like, Thanks for listening now. No, but I don't think he's wiping. I think he's like, check, check, check. I'm glad we figured out the socks thing together. Actually, it was all okay. We did it together. Not me. It was a tag team event. And he just gets fucking nailed here. And this is one of those things, too, where it's like the randomness of. Of utility. The randomness of life. Exactly. He could have fucking died there. What if the movie was that? Oh, yeah. Dead like that could have. I actually thought that is what happened. Yeah. And I was like, okay, so this is how everyone just died. Well, I'm. It doesn't in a way. It's like notice how it mirrors back some of the other moments that have happened in the movie. Like with the kid. Yeah, with the kids, with the beer, the jacket. But no. And then you see him walking off is perfect. Like, that's his exit. He just walked off. And like, you also know, like, he can't be mad at the two because it was like I arrived here the same way the coin did that It's sort of like, no, this is going through a traffic light. And this random yeah, he had a green light. Like it was just nothing was wrong, right? He's not pissed at all. He's just like, oh, this is a thing that happens. I mean, I can't imagine how much this would hurt. So here the kid with the striped shirt on the right is an incredibly young Caleb Landry Jones is were his very first movie dude. He does he's so young that it's hard to even, like, look like him when you hear him talk. It's like, yeah, it does it. It's so funny. Who's, like, turned into one of our best actors of his generation. I just thought, Yeah. Headroom. Oh, my God. Jesus, It's on Hulu. Look at that fucking bone. Uh, the book goes a little farther here with the story, but not much further for. No, no, because Ed, Tom, like, meets up with these kids interviews. And so the kids do say, like, you know, he's like, don't talk about this. So they they do kind of fess up a little bit. He I think he like, goes to the kids school talks but doesn't gain any new knowledge. And that makes for a smart cut. We don't need to see him know on this exercise in futility even more like we get it by now. Oh. Oh, my God, that would hurt so bad. Just to set it in that. Take it? Mm hmm. Look, I can bone Got both. You know, part of that is my. And that's all it is. It's just simple. He walks away, find another small hotel, you know? Yeah. I don't know if he'll be able to sell. He might need it. He might. A hospital now? Yeah. That's a that's a tough on that area. All simple into his retirement. I can be nice at home. Love that tree. Yeah. The simplicity of this is just beautiful. I was. I was definitely surprised when it ended the first time I saw it in the theater. But, you know, it cuts the black. We hear the clocks, director card pops up and you're like, Oh, wow, It's a thinker. Like, it wants you to walk away thinking about stuff. It wants you to. It challenges you, wants to talk. He wants you to have a conversation about it. You know, and dreams that is so lost, you know, be great is when he's done with this speech. And then we cut back to her and she goes, Well, at home, she's no country for. Yeah, but the black cut of him, there's a, you know, words that would do that. Yeah. You know what worst director would do that. Oh yeah. Yeah. So like, punch it in there. But I think that could be like the next line of their conversation. I think she could say something like that. But I love how he doesn't even talk about in this. He doesn't talk about Llewellyn. Anton. It's none of that. It's that was just a his last case was a bad one. A lot of people died and there was no resolution. I just love loved. The dream is not about. It's about his dad to do this in one take. It's like phenomenal. But he's done with the it and he goes, That was it, John eight nine. How can we maybe do it again? No, I mean, out of focus. No, we're doing it that all the way to the movie is just on him right here. All the events, the past, it's all on his face. I mean, this is incredible. It's just one take. Oh, it's it's remarkable. And we've been holding on him, you know, for most of this time. We'll come back to her. But and he plays it so perfectly, Not getting emotional like too emotional. You know, just it's the perfect register to be in the funky ass ending to a movie, to a best picture winning movie. That's perfect. Oh, yeah, it really is. Sets a perfect tone. We Just watched a great movie with a perfect title about futility. Yeah, that was a lot of fun. That was a lot of fun to do. That one because of all just those cool set pieces. Do you have a favorite performance in the movie? I mean, it's got to be Harvey. Eric Yeah, I can. Okay, then. You know, a justly won supporting actor for it. Okay. So second to him, I'm gonna go with Tommy. Yeah, same here. Yeah, same here. I think you just heard. Is Robert Jaynes, your editor? What a great film. Fantastic film. I'm wondering how you know, how they got to that name. Should I don't. I'd have to look it up. I think there's an explanation for it. You know, Soderbergh does that, too, for uses Marion Bernard, which is his mother's maiden name, and for cinematographer, he uses Peter Andrews as his dad's first and middle name. Just so his dad, his dad's name is Peter Andrews. Soderbergh I always get a kick out of that. How they write their name, I don't know. It just sounds like a very unusual name that no one else would have. Sounds like a name from like an old Western or something. Hmm. Barry Corbin was that old uncle in that Tommy Lee was talking to at the end? He's so good. Yes. Scott RUDIN, like, bought the rights to this book. I don't even know if McCarthy had finished the book. I know he talked like if it was in galleys or something, because he wrote the book in 2005. So they were like very it was immediately I definitely don't think it had hit stores and he bought the rights to it and it was Cohens are doing it. And it just it all happened very, very fast. That's crazy. Yeah. This movie's released less than two years after the. The book is released. Yeah, that's wild. It's a really good McCarthy book. I wouldn't even say I read. All of his work. I think it's it's definitely the easiest to read and it has philosophical stuff in it, but not as much as his other stuff where there's going on these long passages. Yeah. Is this all like the road is The Road is a challenging book. It won the Pulitzer I really wanted. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't think that adaptation. That adaptation was very good. That movie. Yeah. Oh, there he is. Jones. Caleb Jones. That's an L.A.. That's cool that we got some music right here. Yeah. Carter Burwell doesn't music for all the Coen brothers there. I think there's, like, the faintest, faintest slightest little, like, maybe Bass Rumble or there is something there's this ring that. Yeah, the coin toss scene where you're talking to the guy in the gas station. It is faint, but it's it's there. But I mean, some of Carter Burwell scores for the Coens like for Fargo. They've been such big parts in the movie like there's so much of Fargo that huge, huge sound of just watching cars drive in the snow and it really fits. So to take all that out again, what a huge, huge choice to not have any in this movie, because this movie is like primed for a really good, you know, pulsating score. Oh, take all that out. It's just genius. It's such a smart move. It really is. Well, a lot of fun. Do you have a good time? You want to say anything to the folks for you? Head out here and the. Are you fucking kidding me right now? You can't think of something to say as we know What the hell? Jesus Christ. I want to thank you for watching paint dry. You're like us, like pulling teeth. I want to thank everyone. You're like the fucking stutterer for my Cousin Vinny. What you're watching is during the jury. I think we were watching it yesterday, having had a hell of a time. It's like every movie we watch together now in person, we're like, looking at each other going, Is this counter? Is this like, could this be a commentary now? No, I don't know. Maybe. Maybe they're fun. They're definitely it goes by so fast when we're doing that. So, you know, I hope we don't bring up too many things and then just like, leave them. I think we're pretty good about that, about catching our threads and coming back to them. But it's it's crazy how fast the movies go when you watch them in this way. It really is and there's so many different things to talk about. It's like, What do I talk about? And it's sometimes a movie just so fucking good that we forget to talk. It's I got lost. So many different moments of it. Marfa, Texas. Yeah. Again, they, when they were filming out there in that, in those desert scenes they could see the smoke in the flames from there will be blood out. Yeah. That's a possibility. There is. I love that Two masterpieces being filmed at the same next to the year. Yeah. It's like a number of shots. Yeah, it's. Yeah. David That's all right. It's all right. Deakins. You'll win that. Oh, Paramount Vantage 27 Respect their place at the Tangiers. Yeah, they showed it a quick, a quick little clip on TV there, and I think that's it from us. You guys want to say to the to the masses? Yes. Thanks for listening and happy watching, as always. Jesus how original you could have, but you didn't. Wow. Thanks, everyone. Hey, it's Alex. Just me. All right. That scene with Tommy Lee Jones, when he goes back to the motel room, he's looking at the keyhole which has been blown out. And then we see Javier Bardem hiding seemingly in the room. Tommy Lee. Jay kicks the door open and the room is definitively empty. I wrote an essay on my blog ten years ago called Where Is Anton Chigurh? You're describing this exact mysterious phenomenon in the movie, and I'm still getting comments on it. Most of the comments are all theories about where Schrager is and what the scene means. The last comment I got on that article was July 9th, 2023. It's just crazy. It's it's such a mysterious scene, but I love that people still want to talk about it. So I would love to know what everyone thinks of the movie and of that moment. Of course. Hey everyone, thanks again for listening. You can watch my films and read my movie blog. Alex Withrow dot com Nicholas Toast Dotcom is where you can find all of Nick's film work. Send us mailbag questions at What Are You Watching Podcast at gmail.com or find us on Twitter, Instagram and letterboxd at W aiw underscore podcast Next time is all about Spike Lee's He Got Game. I've been wanting to talk about this movie in detail for years. So excited to dive in. Stay tuned.