Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Bishop Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit www.wordonfire.org.
Anytime you want, I can let you see my tax returns for the past 23 years. What makes you think priests don't pay taxes? And what "continual offerings" am I receiving, friend? I make a small salary, almost certainly smaller than yours. And I see about one movie a week. Is that too much?
The pivotal scene that this review (and I do like this review) fails to mention, is the final meeting between the sheriff and his uncle. You'll find it on TH-cam if you search for "I feel overmatched" where his uncle relates how one of their family members was gunned down by criminals on his own doorstep back in 1909. The point of his story, and the entire movie is laid in the next couple lines. Bad stuff has always happened. Your suffering isn't unique, and its not about you. We deal with it, as long as we can. The belief that our own suffering is special, that the evil that we face is unique; "that's vanity." The country in the title is life itself, and life can be rough. It wears you down over time, and inevitably we die. That's why it's no place for old men.
Movies in and of themselves are not evil or sinful. Anyone with even an elementary understanding of religion would understand this. I commend Fr. Barron for bringing the Catholic viewpoint to modern pop culture.
thesthez1: Sermon while mounting of the innocent. At least his many victims didn't have to listen to his movie reviews. He is spinning this review into an affirmation of god and heaven. His spin on life and death is as an anachronistic as the sheriff. Good people will do good things. Bad people will do bad things. But to get good people to do bad things, you need religion. In terms of influencing my actions, God is not at all important. In terms of destabilizing the world, impeding humanity's progress and generally making humans act crazy towards one another, that's a different story. Jesus believed and liked the idea of eternal punishment or never spoke out against it. His criteria for getting into heaven is contemptible, disgusting - believe in the Son, that’s all it takes. I believe what is written about Jesus was written long after he died and isn't representational of what he did just as most of the bible is bs with bad deeds and dogma (well the Old Testament is really bad there). For instance, Sacred texts including the Bible, Torah and Koran all preserve and protect fragments of Iron Age culture, putting a god’s name and endorsement on some of the very worst human impulses. Any believer looking to excuse his own temper, sense of superiority, warmongering, bigotry, or planetary destruction can find validation in writings that claim to be authored by God. Religion makes a virtue out of faith. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus. As science eats away at territory once held by religion, traditional religious beliefs require greater and greater mental defenses against threatening information. To stay strong, religion trains believers to practice self-deception, shut out contradictory evidence, and trust authorities rather than their own capacity to think. No Jesus didn't want to just beat people up, he wanted those who didn't believe in the Son to there is no proof or near-proof, there is great doubt. Jesus is but the would-be eternal tormentor of mostly nice or OK people who won't find salvation. Some bad behavior comes from reading the bible. The bad dogma and deeds of the bible plus advanced the reasoning of today, advanced logic, knowledge of science all will contribute to the downfall of religion with its stranglehold on the more naive.
Bullshit. The good man has perished from the earth. Jesus STATES: "Why do you call Me "good"? There is none good but the Father in the heavens. Todays physics is the biggest crock of imaginary HOOEY I have ever seen, even going beyond the imaginations of carnally minded religion. The Scriptures are not "religion" but absolute truth. "religion" is what corrupted men make by perverting the Scriptures.
@FarTooHuman No! You're missing my point. Heaven is not a doggy sleep. Heaven is the state in which all of our energies--mind, will, imagination, bodily movement, etc.--are lit up, activated. Think of parrticipating in a vigorous and fascinating game of football or golf or tennis. Or think of playing in a world-class orchestra, or making love. Those would be far better metaphors for heaven than sleeping.
Just watched the movie fresh pretty much for the first time this evening. Seen bits of it before though. But I consciously watched it this evening I should say. I found this great commentary on the movie (I'm a fellow catholic) and was delighted to hear the Bishop commenting on such things. One scene that struck me as particularly evil, some might find odd, was the scene where the main bad guy at the end was in a car crash. If you remember, there were two young lads on bicycles that came up to him after to see if he was okay. Although young they seemed to have genuine concern for the man and his injury. He offered them money for one of their shirts 3 times, twice refusing (offering the shirt for free, for his hardship) and on the 3rd time upon the mans insistence they took the ($100) bill from his hand and he walked off. Nothing particularly sinister so far you might think and you're probably right. However, as the man leaves the vicinity the boys suddenly begin to bicker over possession of the money they recieved. They accepted rewards for grace's they were prepared to give freely to a suffering man and instantly they became divided. That to me was one of the most evil parts of the movie. Not the killing or stealing or lying that is obviously evil. But the subliminal way satan enters our lives is frightening. We must be sober to identify him.
Spot on correct review of this very good film. The old man talking to Tommy Lee near the end says, "this country is hard on people, always has been." Luellen's fiancé says near the end to the death figure of Bardem, "you don't have to do this!" The best that death offers to any of the characters is the flip of a coin. Tommy Lee articulates the hell that he has dealt with all his years, and it is written on his face. The other ray of hope Father, from this world to the light on the other side is his wife, who says near the end, "tell me about your dream." Tommy Lee can't imagine why she would allow him to get the dream off his chest but she is there for him. Small baby steps of grace but it is there for the asking. Good film.
Love your insight here Bishop Barron. This has, over time, become my favorite film. I think it a masterful depiction of human struggle and “the crisis of modernity.”
Excellent interpretation. Javier Bardem's character possessed the God Complex. He confronts everybody playing the game of evil and walks away, not unscathed, but still walks away. If we cross over into the supernatural, perhaps he is an agent of death sent to clean house.
@FarTooHuman Who's advocating "throwing in our cards?" The world is indeed wonderful, and we should live our lives here to the hilt. But, at the end of the day, this life is limited, and everything in this world passes away. Yet we have a longing for a fulfillment and a peace that are truly eternal. We should follow that longing, even as we live this life as fully as we can.
This man is discussing a film. Everyone wants to bring up the fact that he's a man of religion. I think you have a wonderful video here and I will check out your other videos.
Why do you think he was interested in ditching the sensor? it seems to me he had no idea there was a sensor until much later in the movie. And bringing water to the dying man was a generous move, but why do you think he had any interest, at that point, in giving the money back?
Richard Cardone You are ranting at a person you do not know...and making assumptions about them...and holding them personally accountable for whatever issues YOU have. Not that I think it matters to you (being that you are oviously NOT using linear thinking)...but you are WRONG on each and every assertion you make. Does that not seem a little odd and neurotic to you, Richard? I'm not going to join with you in your tirade about "religion" and whatever your beef is. You want a punching bag....MY ADVICE is you take up boxing. Even the head injuries won't do you any harm....your noggin' is already out to lunch.
as CS Lewis said: you don't have a soul...you are a soul...what you have is a body. which one do you think is "life"? if this physical realm and "life" is all you want then, in the end, God will give you what you want. He's good like that.
@seanpcooper Yeah, but if I'm wrong, no big deal, just oblivion. But if you're wrong, there are some serious consequences indeed. Take a look sometime at Pascal's famous wager.
I saw this a very long time ago but from what I remember is the irony of the title, in "No Country for Old Men" the only one that isn't killed or terribly injured in the film (well out of the main characters) is the "old man" the old hardened sheriff. Maybe I took that the wrong way but I thought that was pretty interesting/overlooked
I love Tommy Lee Jones, he did a great job acting. People say that the movie was ambiguous, and had a horrible ending with unanswered questions. .But i think that the end is very optimistic that you will still be accepted for your failures. Great movie, but it takes a lot of thinking! Good movie review Barron
You've got it mostly right, I think. But you're overlooking that glimmer of hope, the campfire in the dark. The Bible says that there is no man righteous, not one; but with God, all things are possible!
As per the movie. It is a ex military (trained & speaks/writes English) From a country below USA. If you were a cartel who would you call? not the guy working in grocery store.
You didn't mention anything about principles which in my opinion is arguably one of the most important themes of the movie. Tommy Lee Jones' character's principles are in line with those of the law. Javier Bardam's character defies these principles and to a certain extent wins. One thing Bardam's character says to Woody Harrilson's character is, "if the rule you followed led you to this of what use was the rule". He is of course talking about principles and principles are moral rules you stand by and what Bardam is saying is, so long as you have them and you stand by them it doesn't matter what they are. In the end of the film Josh Brolin's wife refuses to call the side of the coin, a method he calls fate that he uses to eliminate himself from the equation, and thereby defies Bardam's principles so although we don't know if he killed her or not we know that his principles have been broken. Just immediately afterwards Bardam is hurt in a car accident showing he's just as susceptible to all the world's random and unlikely as everyone else. This is honestly reassuring as a viewer that characters like this aren't invincible. In the final scene with Tommy Lee Jones I think what he's talking about is how he couldn't uphold the principles his father set he says about the fire could last so long in all the cold and dark but I think there will be someone who will come after him to carry the torch in this world.
We *do* know for sure that Chigurh kills Carla Jean. First, recall that when Chigurh kills the Mexicans in the hotel room, when he's done, he takes off his bloody socks. Then, recall that when he kills Carson Wells in the hotel room, he makes sure to move his boots out of the way of the spreading pool of blood. And then... when he leaves Carla Jean's mother's house, he pauses on the porch to check the soles of his boots. Carla Jean's fate is "known" right there.
Can't we live a good, bad, or indifferent life without hope? What does hope bring us, that we have to invent it? With or without hope, death comes for us. Without hope, Bishop Barron is just out of a job, and that's the only consequence of the absence of hope I can see. Someone who needs more than this life gives us, and seeks 'salvation' likely just has a crappy life. I'm at the point that I see I'm running out of time, and because I've achieved so little of what I could dream of doing, I'm grateful that it will all be finished at some point. Earl Montgomery wrote the song "One of These Days" for somebody like me, and Emmylou sang it best.
I didnt realize the similarities between Marge and Ed Tom Bell, and that was and interesting interpretation regarding Chigurh as being a symbol of Death and fate.
... that even though the battle between the two will never end in this life, it is not futile or pointless to fight that battle on the side of good. And when all else is stripped away, and we cannot grasp where the world came from (if without God) or how creation can come from something with no beginning (God), and have to admit that it is at bottom a mystery we can never answer, our hope in such a truth is all that we have.
It started and ended as I suspected. I mean, it is a priest that does this talk. Still, I must say, I was intrigued by the interpretation of Bardem's character. Very interesting look there.
He most certainly kills Carla Jean. In the book, she calls heads and the coin is tails, so he shoots her. Being the experienced and accredited filmmakers the Coen bros are, it seems very unlikely that they would completely change a part of what Cormac McCarthy has written. They probably felt that they didn't need to show her actually getting shot, so they slyly suggested it with Bardem checking his shoes. I suggest reading the book and rewatching the movie. both are fantastic
Life is a combination of chance and fate. We all know our fate, death, and chance determines how and when we will get there. So based on that, could you argue that Anton is life instead of death? Not the bright light life, but the dark, mysterious, unrelenting force that is life? He uses chance in many of his kills, and throughout the movie chance plays a large role with the hotel scene when Bell went in the wrong hotel room (Anton was in the hotel beside the one Bell enters based on the hole also blown out in that door knob as well), the coin flip in the store, and the car crash at the end that could have led to Anton's eventual death. If he had left that house 15 seconds earlier, or 15 seconds later, he would have been perfectly fine to kill another day. In the end, everything returns to the way it was and eventually, life resumes. @Fr. Robert Barron, I would be interested in your take on this spin (or is it even a spin considering that life is death and death is life?).
I would say that people who accuse this movie of being nihilistic and depressing, etc. are wrong. The very last scene is the Sheriff's wonderful monologue of that dream, with his father carrying the torch before him, the light if you will. A glimmer of hope on the horizon. Anton Chigurh can also be interpreted as: so much evil has been done in this world, and now here comes the judgement on them.
Your Grace might be too busy to read Cormack McCarthy's Blood Meridian, but I bet you'd have an interesting analysis of Judge Holden. At some point criminal law will have to examine actions beyond the facts and assess evil spirit as the guiding madness behind the crimes. There's a linear logic to the creature infected as well as to the infecting creature. The measure of help needed may be determined by how much a the former is within the later's grasp.
One thing that I haven't heard many people talk about with this movie is the question of what it means to be dead. It seems to come up over and over. Examples, Moss forgets that his mother is dead? He tells his wife to tell his mother he loves her. She replies but your mother's dead? He tells her well then I'll tell her myself. So only the dead can relate to the dead? Then the sheriffs deputy describes the dead mexicans as was or were. The sheriff says thats the question are they anymore and when did they stop being. It seems to be asking does death stop you from being who you were? Then carla jean basically tells chigurh that Lewellyns dead so the promise he made to him to kill her shouldn't matter. Chigurh says it doesn't matter so the question is do agreements with dead people still matter. Lastly, the accountant who witnesses chigurh kill his boss states he thinks then he stammers and says he thought that more people looking would be more effective. It seems to be saying well hes dead now so do his thoughts matter?
The movie is devoid of hope, in my view, as are all Cohen movies. The detail I think is important, though, is to remember just how he got bogged down--by trying to do an act of mercy for the dying Mexican in the truck, returning to the scene just in time to get spotted by some baddies. The only efficacious force in the movie is evil, and the sherriffs dream at the end is a recounting of utter hopelessness in the dark--the "old timers" have no light to offer us. That's pure Cohen nihilism.
Bishop Barron if you could find time to watch the Netflix mini series called “When they see us “ it’s about the true story behind the Central Park jogger who was beaten and raped and the 5 black teens who were wrongfully accused of the crime in 1989. I find it interesting that the real person that committed the crime finally confessed to the crime after finding Jesus Christ while in prison for other rapes and murders that he committed. I think it be very interesting to hear your thoughts on it from the A theological view. Thanks!
have to disagree about the innate hope within the film. the sheriff talks about his father as A) a younger man , outgrown by his son (remember the title of this film is no country for OLD men), this is further enforced by the fact he describes the dream as "like in older times" . in his dream his father rides past him as a younger man ; I think a metaphor for his father dying young and "moving on" , setting a fire and waiting for him in some kind of afterlife clearing a space in the darkness . I would consider this a hopeful not but the monologue ends with the line "...then I woke up..." this I think solidifies the film as existentially absurdist, any meaning possibly found is dashed away by the fact that it was just a dream, any concept of divine justice or meaning/ purpose in general evaporates when we "wake up"
I don't think Moss is a "good guy". Notice how his first action is shooting a Pronghorn then putting the bullet casing in his pocket. Why? He's a poacher, trying to hide his crime. Even though he feels remorse later, he first abandons the man in the truck because he knows there must be a "last man standing" and money (crime 2). When he reaches the man, he waits for him to die (crime 3), and as we know he takes the money, which is evidence in a major carnage (crime 4). He represents he hubris of man who thinks he can outrun the Law, the Lawless and even death itself (Anton). As a viewer you can tell he's screwed from the beginning. Not only that, but we have a sense that he's dragging his family down with him. As smart as he thinks he is, we can tell what's coming to him, while he doesn't.
He's not hiding his crime....he's saving the brass to reload. I think his character represents all men. All of us are constantly tempted, and sometimes we surrender to those temptations.
Picking up the casing isn't by far the only clue that he's poaching. Hunting is a highly regulated activity. You can't kill Pronghorn in public land; you are closely monitored by Parks & Wildlife; often you have to register in site; you must wear orange... I mean, the government would know where he is and for how long. This would not lend itsefl to him thinking he can steal $2 Million + 2 firearms which would be illegal for him to carry, and get away with it. Also in this movie everything you see has significance. Him picking up his casings is reflected later by Sheriff Bell picking up casings at the kill site and being able to identify the firearms which used them instantly. Bell even knows Moss and had he found those spent cartridges he would've known right away that they came from his rifle. Is the money a big temptation? Sure, I'll agree with that.
Hmm that makes sense, but I though the symbolism was the sgt meeting his dad again 'in the dream' but then he woke up. I do understand that chigurh represents unstoppable evil force, but I thought maybe that if there is no heaven that contradicts father barrons interpretation, and I don't like that rather closeminded thought.
I believe you're missing one big aspect of the end of the movie. His last line is "Then I woke up". which means his dreams of hope and salvation are nothing more then a speculation of his own mind. Are they true? There's no way to tell. It was a nice dream but he has no reason to use it as proof of any greater salvation that is certain to come his way.
I see the film as if it was a Shakespearean trajedy. Moss is the hero with a tragic flaw . . . inner-conscious. His mistake was when he went back to help the dying Mexican because he felt sorry for him. The technical climax would have to be when Moss and Anton have their talk on the phone, and Moss refuses to give into Anton's deal. Now everything is fate.
... are accountable for their actions, then life must have a purpose and it matters what happens and what you do. The movie is not so much nihilistic as a meditation on nihilism. It places us in a setting where evil seems unstoppable and efforts to even try to stop it to be futile and pointless. But Ed Toms dream, while it basically foreshadows his death, it is nevertheless hopeful. Without didactically stating that the difference between good and evil matters, it expresses the hope . . .
I would suggest to anyone to watch "Passion of the Christ." I wonder what "rating" individuals would give that movie? (they gave it an "R")....many thought it should have been "X" for the violence. I would suppose Father Barron became a priest so he could make a spiritual commentary about films & social trends of today. I also suppose that Father doesn't consider himself being a priest "too bad." It's obvious from his enthusiasm & articulation of the subject matter that he LOVES what he's doing.
I don't think the fire represented hope. I think it represented protection - a bit of warmth in this cold, dark world. And how you won't triumph over evil - you can only seek to protect yourself from it. I think this is part of Sheriff Tom's existential solution. I think "heaven" is not depicted by the fire, but by the end of the mountainous path. "He just rode on ahead... When I got there, he'd be there" - that's heaven.
@@blondwiththewind -Breaking Bad's main Christian theme is about the sin of pride. Even Hank the DEA agent, let's his professional pride cloud his judgment. Pride even prevents Walt's wife Skylar from helping Hank. That, and her own culpability. Which resulted from pride.
. . . while here we see a coin toss with Evil. A chess game with Death is representative of how every man (er, person, excuse me) uses his wits to ward off death as long as possible, but we know Death will always call out check mate at some point. A coin toss with evil posits the question whether there is really any ultimate justice in the universe, or do bad (and good) things just happen randomly. Does Evil get a final condemnation, or does it just get slowed down a little by an . . .
Anton is death. When death comes for you there is no getting away. You can only cheat him for so long. Even T-boning him in an intersection doesn't put him down. A common theme in Cormac McCarthy novels.
I dont think the movie has anything related to religion really in it. Unless you tie death into it. Its kind of just stuff that happens much like like life. There is not always some end goal or set path just a lot of things that happen along the way as the result of choices
Fr. Barron, would you consider this movie also has depicted of corruption of money, which usually covered with blood? The Mexican mobs are killed for money; Moss, who tries to keep the money, first gives the blood-cover money to the tourist for a jacket, then Mexican musicians for the hospital. In the end, the two suburb youths, who takes Chigurh's money, leaves Chigurh alone and started a fight with each other. THX for your video.
I had heard others posit that the Anton character personifies Death but didn't buy it. However, you make the best case for it and now I agree that that is one way to look at this movie, which is one of the few movies of the past several years that deserved its critical acclaim. My take is a little different, and I think addresses BeJayusAndBeGorragh's remark that God doesn't exist in this movie. In my view, Anton is Evil personified. Bergman famously shows a chess game with death . . .
I find it simplistic to say that Bardem's character represents pure evil in the film. He does have a moral and ethical compass, of sorts. It's certainly not consistent with conventional morality, but it's there nonetheless. He allows certain people to live, and even shows something like gratitude and/or admiration for some - IE, the clerk at the trailer park office, the junior executive in the Dallas office building, the gas station owner (whom he doesn't admire at all, but does offer the chance of survival in the form of a coin flip), and the young boy who gives up his shirt. Bardem simply represents the concept of randomness - "Thou knowest not the day nor the hour, for the Day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night". He is the universe's instrument, representing the inevitability of mortality. It cannot be dissuaded or bargained with, any more than one may bargain with God. He is, in fact, the polar opposite of Satan offering Faust a quid pro quo - or the same deal to Christ during His forty day temptation in the desert. Death seems cruel to us, from our limited perspective. But, is it really? I'm certainly not in a huge hurry to find out for myself. And I would feel as though it were cruel if it took away someone I love. But in the end, it's merely the common denominator.
Where'd you get the idea that he let her live? Everything in the ensuing scene suggests otherwise, particularly his checking his feet for blood. At best, the film is ambiguous on that point, and the directors' silence on that crucial point simply adds to the sense of nihilism that pervades all their work.
The major proofs of cause and effect or action/reaction Llewellyn moss makes the decision 1st bad one by the way he sees the whole scene of death carnage blood bodies trucks etc from the safety of distance thru his binoculars from relative safety he crosses the line and consciously aware of the fact he is entering into a situation where he has no place to be in.take to sta is of th ecash deliver rest to Sheriff/police give them directions and description of scene be done with it .On the other hand the worst move besides not transferring and inspection of cash to another bag,box container either way going back with water hours later was Assinine
I've had the experience of "the campfire." More than once it has saved my life. But I don't regard it as something that will always be available. I am not gifted with faith, although I think that those who are fare better in this world. I don't understand why God seems to be so ineffectual in this struggle. Why does evil appear to be prevailing, if Christ overcame evil on the Cross? I also don't get your remark to the effect that all things are possible with God. Seems like sloganeering.
I brought that up in response to your reference to Pascal's wager. The idea that God would allow us to suffer "serious consequences" just for merely disbelieving in an afterlife is absurd and uncharacteristically petty for a wise and loving God. More likely, in my opinion, is that God would actually reward a healthy skepticism of dogma, given that one has lived morally. You seem like a very intelligent man, so I was surprised you would evoke such a tired argument.
Anytime you want, I can let you see my tax returns for the past 23 years. What makes you think priests don't pay taxes? And what "continual offerings" am I receiving, friend? I make a small salary, almost certainly smaller than yours. And I see about one movie a week. Is that too much?
I want you to see more movies, myself.
The pivotal scene that this review (and I do like this review) fails to mention, is the final meeting between the sheriff and his uncle. You'll find it on TH-cam if you search for "I feel overmatched" where his uncle relates how one of their family members was gunned down by criminals on his own doorstep back in 1909. The point of his story, and the entire movie is laid in the next couple lines. Bad stuff has always happened. Your suffering isn't unique, and its not about you. We deal with it, as long as we can. The belief that our own suffering is special, that the evil that we face is unique; "that's vanity." The country in the title is life itself, and life can be rough. It wears you down over time, and inevitably we die. That's why it's no place for old men.
Movies in and of themselves are not evil or sinful.
Anyone with even an elementary understanding of religion would understand this. I commend Fr. Barron for bringing the Catholic viewpoint to modern pop culture.
Oh come on, friend! The Bible, if it were made into a movie, would have at least an R rating.
This is both funny and sad.
@@richardbird8097 the bare minimum rated R
@@cmcas wasn’t the movie about the crucification rated r? No way to tell the story with out mentioning the good and the bad the bad is graphic
I was moved by Llewelyn's wife when she had to face down Anton. Her courage to speak truth to his evil and accept her fate was like a martyr.
This is a movie review folks - not a forum for attack on theology. This fellow's reviews are usually very insightful. So he's a priest - get over it.
This guy has probably heard confessions that are far worse than anything seen in an R rated film.
thestelz1 You're a joke
R Stelzer Ok. You're a crackpot
You're a "thunderjug" (shit-pot) so F/O pagan (or Roman Catholic) [same thing]
thesthez1: Sermon while mounting of the innocent. At least his many victims didn't have to listen to his movie reviews. He is spinning this review into an affirmation of god and heaven. His spin on life and death is as an anachronistic as the sheriff.
Good people will do good things.
Bad people will do bad things.
But to get good people to do bad things, you need religion.
In terms of influencing my actions, God is not at all important. In terms of destabilizing the world, impeding humanity's progress and generally making humans act crazy towards one another, that's a different story.
Jesus believed and liked the idea of eternal punishment or never spoke out against it. His criteria for getting into heaven is contemptible, disgusting - believe in the Son, that’s all it takes. I believe what is written about Jesus was written long after he died and isn't representational of what he did just as most of the bible is bs with bad deeds and dogma (well the Old Testament is really bad there).
For instance, Sacred texts including the Bible, Torah and Koran all preserve and protect fragments of Iron Age culture, putting a god’s name and endorsement on some of the very worst human impulses. Any believer looking to excuse his own temper, sense of superiority, warmongering, bigotry, or planetary destruction can find validation in writings that claim to be authored by God.
Religion makes a virtue out of faith. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.
As science eats away at territory once held by religion, traditional religious beliefs require greater and greater mental defenses against threatening information. To stay strong, religion trains believers to practice self-deception, shut out contradictory evidence, and trust authorities rather than their own capacity to think.
No Jesus didn't want to just beat people up, he wanted those who didn't believe in the Son to there is no proof or near-proof, there is great doubt. Jesus is but the would-be eternal tormentor of mostly nice or OK people who won't find salvation. Some bad behavior comes from reading the bible. The bad dogma and deeds of the bible plus advanced the reasoning of today, advanced logic, knowledge of science all will contribute to the downfall of religion with its stranglehold on the more naive.
Bullshit. The good man has perished from the earth.
Jesus STATES: "Why do you call Me "good"? There is none good but the Father in the heavens.
Todays physics is the biggest crock of imaginary HOOEY I have ever seen, even going beyond the imaginations of carnally minded religion.
The Scriptures are not "religion" but absolute truth. "religion" is what corrupted men make by perverting the Scriptures.
@FarTooHuman Why would you think that fullness of life with God is a fantasy? Heaven is more real then earth.
@FarTooHuman No! You're missing my point. Heaven is not a doggy sleep. Heaven is the state in which all of our energies--mind, will, imagination, bodily movement, etc.--are lit up, activated. Think of parrticipating in a vigorous and fascinating game of football or golf or tennis. Or think of playing in a world-class orchestra, or making love. Those would be far better metaphors for heaven than sleeping.
Bishop Robert Barron keep up the good work brother. You defend the Faith better then I ever could
This man is very intelligent and very eloquent. His opinion is very interesting
I love his perspective and insights. It’s refreshing.
Just watched the movie fresh pretty much for the first time this evening. Seen bits of it before though. But I consciously watched it this evening I should say. I found this great commentary on the movie (I'm a fellow catholic) and was delighted to hear the Bishop commenting on such things.
One scene that struck me as particularly evil, some might find odd, was the scene where the main bad guy at the end was in a car crash. If you remember, there were two young lads on bicycles that came up to him after to see if he was okay. Although young they seemed to have genuine concern for the man and his injury. He offered them money for one of their shirts 3 times, twice refusing (offering the shirt for free, for his hardship) and on the 3rd time upon the mans insistence they took the ($100) bill from his hand and he walked off.
Nothing particularly sinister so far you might think and you're probably right. However, as the man leaves the vicinity the boys suddenly begin to bicker over possession of the money they recieved.
They accepted rewards for grace's they were prepared to give freely to a suffering man and instantly they became divided.
That to me was one of the most evil parts of the movie. Not the killing or stealing or lying that is obviously evil. But the subliminal way satan enters our lives is frightening.
We must be sober to identify him.
Spot on correct review of this very good film. The old man talking to Tommy Lee near the end says, "this country is hard on people, always has been." Luellen's fiancé says near the end to the death figure of Bardem, "you don't have to do this!" The best that death offers to any of the characters is the flip of a coin. Tommy Lee articulates the hell that he has dealt with all his years, and it is written on his face. The other ray of hope Father, from this world to the light on the other side is his wife, who says near the end, "tell me about your dream." Tommy Lee can't imagine why she would allow him to get the dream off his chest but she is there for him. Small baby steps of grace but it is there for the asking. Good film.
But if you really believed that, you wouldn't cry. Your tears are an indication that you have an inkling of another world.
Russell is absolutely right. God needs nothing and hence cannot be "offended."
Love your insight here Bishop Barron. This has, over time, become my favorite film. I think it a masterful depiction of human struggle and “the crisis of modernity.”
Excellent interpretation. Javier Bardem's character possessed the God Complex. He confronts everybody playing the game of evil and walks away, not unscathed, but still walks away. If we cross over into the supernatural, perhaps he is an agent of death sent to clean house.
@FarTooHuman Who's advocating "throwing in our cards?" The world is indeed wonderful, and we should live our lives here to the hilt. But, at the end of the day, this life is limited, and everything in this world passes away. Yet we have a longing for a fulfillment and a peace that are truly eternal. We should follow that longing, even as we live this life as fully as we can.
This is very well done. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
I remember learning, and believing, the 'Pessimist with Hope' path, way back in the early 90s ... !!
This man is discussing a film. Everyone wants to bring up the fact that he's a man of religion.
I think you have a wonderful video here and I will check out your other videos.
Why do you think he was interested in ditching the sensor? it seems to me he had no idea there was a sensor until much later in the movie. And bringing water to the dying man was a generous move, but why do you think he had any interest, at that point, in giving the money back?
Never thought I'd see a priest say the line "bodies just pile up" and "people fall right and left" with a smile. LOL
Richard Cardone
Sorry not sorry...but your comment sounds like a bunch of neurotic jibber-jabbering to me.
Richard Cardone
You are ranting at a person you do not know...and making assumptions about them...and holding them personally accountable for whatever issues YOU have. Not that I think it matters to you (being that you are oviously NOT using linear thinking)...but you are WRONG on each and every assertion you make. Does that not seem a little odd and neurotic to you, Richard? I'm not going to join with you in your tirade about "religion" and whatever your beef is. You want a punching bag....MY ADVICE is you take up boxing. Even the head injuries won't do you any harm....your noggin' is already out to lunch.
Richard Cardone
LOL!!! meh.
Richard Cardone
Name calling, assumptions, and vulgarities. Nothin' but troll talk. And you've already proven your first sentence is WRONG.
Thought the review would be a lot more "conservative"
Thanks Mr Barron. Good job.
This is a great review with real insight -- nothing more, nothing less.
Last line of the film: "and then I woke up".
as CS Lewis said: you don't have a soul...you are a soul...what you have is a body. which one do you think is "life"? if this physical realm and "life" is all you want then, in the end, God will give you what you want. He's good like that.
@seanpcooper Yeah, but if I'm wrong, no big deal, just oblivion. But if you're wrong, there are some serious consequences indeed. Take a look sometime at Pascal's famous wager.
I saw this a very long time ago but from what I remember is the irony of the title, in "No Country for Old Men" the only one that isn't killed or terribly injured in the film (well out of the main characters) is the "old man" the old hardened sheriff. Maybe I took that the wrong way but I thought that was pretty interesting/overlooked
I love Tommy Lee Jones, he did a great job acting. People say that the movie was ambiguous, and had a horrible ending with unanswered questions. .But i think that the end is very optimistic that you will still be accepted for your failures. Great movie, but it takes a lot of thinking! Good movie review Barron
I don't know if priests would have a beer, but Bishop I would buy you a beer followed by some heavy theological talk! Cheers!
I would have loved it if they had made a sequel to this movie. The characters were so good.
You've got it mostly right, I think. But you're overlooking that glimmer of hope, the campfire in the dark. The Bible says that there is no man righteous, not one; but with God, all things are possible!
Love this movie and I like your perspective on it
Great review!
Right on point Father.
Very Outstanding.
Awesome review
Wholeheartedly agree.
Nice review I've never realized what anton chigurh could be representing... This was an awesome review!
This is cool I never knew you reviewed movies
cormac maccarhty was raised catholic, went to knoxville catholic high.
As per the movie. It is a ex military (trained & speaks/writes English) From a country below USA.
If you were a cartel who would you call? not the guy working in grocery store.
You didn't mention anything about principles which in my opinion is arguably one of the most important themes of the movie. Tommy Lee Jones' character's principles are in line with those of the law. Javier Bardam's character defies these principles and to a certain extent wins. One thing Bardam's character says to Woody Harrilson's character is, "if the rule you followed led you to this of what use was the rule". He is of course talking about principles and principles are moral rules you stand by and what Bardam is saying is, so long as you have them and you stand by them it doesn't matter what they are. In the end of the film Josh Brolin's wife refuses to call the side of the coin, a method he calls fate that he uses to eliminate himself from the equation, and thereby defies Bardam's principles so although we don't know if he killed her or not we know that his principles have been broken. Just immediately afterwards Bardam is hurt in a car accident showing he's just as susceptible to all the world's random and unlikely as everyone else. This is honestly reassuring as a viewer that characters like this aren't invincible. In the final scene with Tommy Lee Jones I think what he's talking about is how he couldn't uphold the principles his father set he says about the fire could last so long in all the cold and dark but I think there will be someone who will come after him to carry the torch in this world.
could only*
We *do* know for sure that Chigurh kills Carla Jean. First, recall that when Chigurh kills the Mexicans in the hotel room, when he's done, he takes off his bloody socks. Then, recall that when he kills Carson Wells in the hotel room, he makes sure to move his boots out of the way of the spreading pool of blood. And then... when he leaves Carla Jean's mother's house, he pauses on the porch to check the soles of his boots. Carla Jean's fate is "known" right there.
Was a good show
defo one of best films ive ever seen - only 2001 and the spaghetti westerns come close
Father Barron, one HELL of a review.(saw what i did there?)
+Ghosty wun.. lol
I have hope.
great view of the film. you should do There Will Be Blood
Can't we live a good, bad, or indifferent life without hope? What does hope bring us, that we have to invent it? With or without hope, death comes for us. Without hope, Bishop Barron is just out of a job, and that's the only consequence of the absence of hope I can see. Someone who needs more than this life gives us, and seeks 'salvation' likely just has a crappy life. I'm at the point that I see I'm running out of time, and because I've achieved so little of what I could dream of doing, I'm grateful that it will all be finished at some point. Earl Montgomery wrote the song "One of These Days" for somebody like me, and Emmylou sang it best.
I didnt realize the similarities between Marge and Ed Tom Bell, and that was and interesting interpretation regarding Chigurh as being a symbol of Death and fate.
... that even though the battle between the two will never end in this life, it is not futile or pointless to fight that battle on the side of good. And when all else is stripped away, and we cannot grasp where the world came from (if without God) or how creation can come from something with no beginning (God), and have to admit that it is at bottom a mystery we can never answer, our hope in such a truth is all that we have.
Hope is optimisim ad infinitum, what the officer was doing was making the best move when not playing wasn't an option
Watching this the end of Stanley Kubricks Barry Lyndon popped into my head.
good or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now.
It started and ended as I suspected. I mean, it is a priest that does this talk. Still, I must say, I was intrigued by the interpretation of Bardem's character. Very interesting look there.
He most certainly kills Carla Jean. In the book, she calls heads and the coin is tails, so he shoots her. Being the experienced and accredited filmmakers the Coen bros are, it seems very unlikely that they would completely change a part of what Cormac McCarthy has written. They probably felt that they didn't need to show her actually getting shot, so they slyly suggested it with Bardem checking his shoes. I suggest reading the book and rewatching the movie. both are fantastic
Call it.
Life is a combination of chance and fate. We all know our fate, death, and chance determines how and when we will get there. So based on that, could you argue that Anton is life instead of death? Not the bright light life, but the dark, mysterious, unrelenting force that is life? He uses chance in many of his kills, and throughout the movie chance plays a large role with the hotel scene when Bell went in the wrong hotel room (Anton was in the hotel beside the one Bell enters based on the hole also blown out in that door knob as well), the coin flip in the store, and the car crash at the end that could have led to Anton's eventual death. If he had left that house 15 seconds earlier, or 15 seconds later, he would have been perfectly fine to kill another day. In the end, everything returns to the way it was and eventually, life resumes. @Fr. Robert Barron, I would be interested in your take on this spin (or is it even a spin considering that life is death and death is life?).
I would say that people who accuse this movie of being nihilistic and depressing, etc. are wrong. The very last scene is the Sheriff's wonderful monologue of that dream, with his father carrying the torch before him, the light if you will. A glimmer of hope on the horizon. Anton Chigurh can also be interpreted as: so much evil has been done in this world, and now here comes the judgement on them.
@adamtheyankee That's your comeback? Wow!
Your Grace might be too busy to read Cormack McCarthy's Blood Meridian, but I bet you'd have an interesting analysis of Judge Holden. At some point criminal law will have to examine actions beyond the facts and assess evil spirit as the guiding madness behind the crimes.
There's a linear logic to the creature infected as well as to the infecting creature. The measure of help needed may be determined by how much a the former is within the later's grasp.
One thing that I haven't heard many people talk about with this movie is the question of what it means to be dead. It seems to come up over and over. Examples, Moss forgets that his mother is dead? He tells his wife to tell his mother he loves her. She replies but your mother's dead? He tells her well then I'll tell her myself. So only the dead can relate to the dead? Then the sheriffs deputy describes the dead mexicans as was or were. The sheriff says thats the question are they anymore and when did they stop being. It seems to be asking does death stop you from being who you were? Then carla jean basically tells chigurh that Lewellyns dead so the promise he made to him to kill her shouldn't matter. Chigurh says it doesn't matter so the question is do agreements with dead people still matter. Lastly, the accountant who witnesses chigurh kill his boss states he thinks then he stammers and says he thought that more people looking would be more effective. It seems to be saying well hes dead now so do his thoughts matter?
The movie is devoid of hope, in my view, as are all Cohen movies.
The detail I think is important, though, is to remember just how he got bogged down--by trying to do an act of mercy for the dying Mexican in the truck, returning to the scene just in time to get spotted by some baddies. The only efficacious force in the movie is evil, and the sherriffs dream at the end is a recounting of utter hopelessness in the dark--the "old timers" have no light to offer us. That's pure Cohen nihilism.
Bishop Barron if you could find time to watch the Netflix mini series called “When they see us “ it’s about the true story behind the Central Park jogger who was beaten and raped and the 5 black teens who were wrongfully accused of the crime in 1989. I find it interesting that the real person that committed the crime finally confessed to the crime after finding Jesus Christ while in prison for other rapes and murders that he committed. I think it be very interesting to hear your thoughts on it from the A theological view. Thanks!
Evil doesn't triumph in NCFOM. The story takes a bleak and philosophical turn towards the end but that's the beauty of the story.
Hi guys - nice work with these vids
this reminds me of the old saying "the graveyards of the world are filled with indispensible men"
I’m not pessimistic when it comes to death. It is going to come and that is fine.
have to disagree about the innate hope within the film. the sheriff talks about his father as A) a younger man , outgrown by his son (remember the title of this film is no country for OLD men), this is further enforced by the fact he describes the dream as "like in older times" . in his dream his father rides past him as a younger man ; I think a metaphor for his father dying young and "moving on" , setting a fire and waiting for him in some kind of afterlife clearing a space in the darkness . I would consider this a hopeful not but the monologue ends with the line "...then I woke up..." this I think solidifies the film as existentially absurdist, any meaning possibly found is dashed away by the fact that it was just a dream, any concept of divine justice or meaning/ purpose in general evaporates when we "wake up"
"Miller's Crossing" is the Coen's best by far.
I don't think Moss is a "good guy". Notice how his first action is shooting a Pronghorn then putting the bullet casing in his pocket. Why? He's a poacher, trying to hide his crime. Even though he feels remorse later, he first abandons the man in the truck because he knows there must be a "last man standing" and money (crime 2). When he reaches the man, he waits for him to die (crime 3), and as we know he takes the money, which is evidence in a major carnage (crime 4). He represents he hubris of man who thinks he can outrun the Law, the Lawless and even death itself (Anton). As a viewer you can tell he's screwed from the beginning. Not only that, but we have a sense that he's dragging his family down with him. As smart as he thinks he is, we can tell what's coming to him, while he doesn't.
He's not hiding his crime....he's saving the brass to reload. I think his character represents all men. All of us are constantly tempted, and sometimes we surrender to those temptations.
Picking up the casing isn't by far the only clue that he's poaching. Hunting is a highly regulated activity. You can't kill Pronghorn in public land; you are closely monitored by Parks & Wildlife; often you have to register in site; you must wear orange... I mean, the government would know where he is and for how long. This would not lend itsefl to him thinking he can steal $2 Million + 2 firearms which would be illegal for him to carry, and get away with it. Also in this movie everything you see has significance. Him picking up his casings is reflected later by Sheriff Bell picking up casings at the kill site and being able to identify the firearms which used them instantly. Bell even knows Moss and had he found those spent cartridges he would've known right away that they came from his rifle. Is the money a big temptation? Sure, I'll agree with that.
What is it I can help you with bishop?
Hmm that makes sense, but I though the symbolism was the sgt meeting his dad again 'in the dream' but then he woke up. I do understand that chigurh represents unstoppable evil force, but I thought maybe that if there is no heaven that contradicts father barrons interpretation, and I don't like that rather closeminded thought.
I believe you're missing one big aspect of the end of the movie. His last line is "Then I woke up". which means his dreams of hope and salvation are nothing more then a speculation of his own mind. Are they true? There's no way to tell. It was a nice dream but he has no reason to use it as proof of any greater salvation that is certain to come his way.
I see the film as if it was a Shakespearean trajedy. Moss is the hero with a tragic flaw . . . inner-conscious. His mistake was when he went back to help the dying Mexican because he felt sorry for him. The technical climax would have to be when Moss and Anton have their talk on the phone, and Moss refuses to give into Anton's deal. Now everything is fate.
Keep reading until you understand it.
... are accountable for their actions, then life must have a purpose and it matters what happens and what you do.
The movie is not so much nihilistic as a meditation on nihilism. It places us in a setting where evil seems unstoppable and efforts to even try to stop it to be futile and pointless. But Ed Toms dream, while it basically foreshadows his death, it is nevertheless hopeful. Without didactically stating that the difference between good and evil matters, it expresses the hope . . .
I would suggest to anyone to watch "Passion of the Christ." I wonder what "rating" individuals would give that movie? (they gave it an "R")....many thought it should have been "X" for the violence. I would suppose Father Barron became a priest so he could make a spiritual commentary about films & social trends of today. I also suppose that Father doesn't consider himself being a priest "too bad." It's obvious from his enthusiasm & articulation of the subject matter that he LOVES what he's doing.
Do a review on EX MACHINA please please please
I don't think the fire represented hope. I think it represented protection - a bit of warmth in this cold, dark world. And how you won't triumph over evil - you can only seek to protect yourself from it. I think this is part of Sheriff Tom's existential solution. I think "heaven" is not depicted by the fire, but by the end of the mountainous path. "He just rode on ahead... When I got there, he'd be there" - that's heaven.
No one is morally indifferent.
do a review on breaking bad. i'm an atheist agnostic but i'd like to hear a christian interpretation of this series.
GrobmotorikJones Here's Christian review: "Drugs are bad. Don't take 'em....don't make 'em...Don't sell 'em".
@@blondwiththewind -Breaking Bad's main Christian theme is about the sin of pride. Even Hank the DEA agent, let's his professional pride cloud his judgment. Pride even prevents Walt's wife Skylar from helping Hank. That, and her own culpability. Which resulted from pride.
. . . while here we see a coin toss with Evil. A chess game with Death is representative of how every man (er, person, excuse me) uses his wits to ward off death as long as possible, but we know Death will always call out check mate at some point. A coin toss with evil posits the question whether there is really any ultimate justice in the universe, or do bad (and good) things just happen randomly. Does Evil get a final condemnation, or does it just get slowed down a little by an . . .
Anton is death. When death comes for you there is no getting away. You can only cheat him for so long. Even T-boning him in an intersection doesn't put him down. A common theme in Cormac McCarthy novels.
That makes sense to me.
There is no doubt that Anton is the face of stone cold evil as well.This character stands in stark contrast to the old man cop.
Llewelyn won, because he died with hope still intact within his heart.
What is you're a paraplegic and cannot enjoy your life then what do you do?
I dont think the movie has anything related to religion really in it. Unless you tie death into it. Its kind of just stuff that happens much like like life. There is not always some end goal or set path just a lot of things that happen along the way as the result of choices
There's hope with these comments. A lot of unbelievers are actually listening to your talks.
Fr. Barron, would you consider this movie also has depicted of corruption of money, which usually covered with blood? The Mexican mobs are killed for money; Moss, who tries to keep the money, first gives the blood-cover money to the tourist for a jacket, then Mexican musicians for the hospital. In the end, the two suburb youths, who takes Chigurh's money, leaves Chigurh alone and started a fight with each other. THX for your video.
I had heard others posit that the Anton character personifies Death but didn't buy it. However, you make the best case for it and now I agree that that is one way to look at this movie, which is one of the few movies of the past several years that deserved its critical acclaim. My take is a little different, and I think addresses
BeJayusAndBeGorragh's remark that God doesn't exist in this movie. In my view, Anton is Evil personified. Bergman famously shows a chess game with death . . .
Review Se7en
I never liked the movie other than that assassin's shotgun spree. But after seeing this, I appreciate it so much!
The sheriff's father was not a law man, his grandfather was.
No hope,it is what it is.
I find it simplistic to say that Bardem's character represents pure evil in the film. He does have a moral and ethical compass, of sorts. It's certainly not consistent with conventional morality, but it's there nonetheless.
He allows certain people to live, and even shows something like gratitude and/or admiration for some - IE, the clerk at the trailer park office, the junior executive in the Dallas office building, the gas station owner (whom he doesn't admire at all, but does offer the chance of survival in the form of a coin flip), and the young boy who gives up his shirt.
Bardem simply represents the concept of randomness - "Thou knowest not the day nor the hour, for the Day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night". He is the universe's instrument, representing the inevitability of mortality. It cannot be dissuaded or bargained with, any more than one may bargain with God. He is, in fact, the polar opposite of Satan offering Faust a quid pro quo - or the same deal to Christ during His forty day temptation in the desert.
Death seems cruel to us, from our limited perspective. But, is it really? I'm certainly not in a huge hurry to find out for myself. And I would feel as though it were cruel if it took away someone I love. But in the end, it's merely the common denominator.
Where'd you get the idea that he let her live? Everything in the ensuing scene suggests otherwise, particularly his checking his feet for blood. At best, the film is ambiguous on that point, and the directors' silence on that crucial point simply adds to the sense of nihilism that pervades all their work.
The major proofs of cause and effect or action/reaction Llewellyn moss makes the decision 1st bad one by the way he sees the whole scene of death carnage blood bodies trucks etc from the safety of distance thru his binoculars from relative safety he crosses the line and consciously aware of the fact he is entering into a situation where he has no place to be in.take to sta is of th ecash deliver rest to Sheriff/police give them directions and description of scene be done with it .On the other hand the worst move besides not transferring and inspection of cash to another bag,box container either way going back with water hours later was Assinine
I've had the experience of "the campfire." More than once it has saved my life. But I don't regard it as something that will always be available. I am not gifted with faith, although I think that those who are fare better in this world. I don't understand why God seems to be so ineffectual in this struggle. Why does evil appear to be prevailing, if Christ overcame evil on the Cross? I also don't get your remark to the effect that all things are possible with God. Seems like sloganeering.
Hint - the man you're trying to argue with, has learned a lot more philosophy than any mere college course introducing the topic ;) bail now.....
Chigurh represents the USA.
I brought that up in response to your reference to Pascal's wager. The idea that God would allow us to suffer "serious consequences" just for merely disbelieving in an afterlife is absurd and uncharacteristically petty for a wise and loving God. More likely, in my opinion, is that God would actually reward a healthy skepticism of dogma, given that one has lived morally. You seem like a very intelligent man, so I was surprised you would evoke such a tired argument.
@mdo686 *Zeus