No Country For Old Men: 5 Reasons It's The Best Neo-Western (& 5 Why It's Hell Or High Water)
The Neo-Western subgenre became very popular in the 2000s and 2010s. The subgenre mostly adopts the elements of old Westerns such as gun violence, a rugged fashion sense, dangerous outlaws, skilled lawmen, desert-like settings, and fixes them in the modern world.
Two of the most critically acclaimed Neo-westerns to come out in recent times are No Country for Old Men and Hell or High Water. Both were helmed by big-name directors and had a cast consisting of big-name actors. But which film is truly superior to the other?
10 No Country For Old Men: Better Weapons
Neo-westerns and Spaghetti westerns are no good without incredible weapons. One weapon made No Country for Old Men the standout film. This was the Captive Bolt Rifle used by the villain Chigurh. This type of weapon is normally used to incapacitate cattle before slaughter,
Chigurh, on the other hand, saw it fit to use it on humans. He killed a couple of people with it and also used it in an iconic scene where he broke into Moss's hotel room. Nothing screams "good neo-western" more than the use of not-so-common weapons.
9 Hell Or High Water: More Skilled Gunslingers
While No Country For Old Men had better use of weapons, Hell or High Water has people who know how to use them. Tanner (one of the two outlaws) is as good a sniper as those in the marines. In one iconic scene where he and his partner Toby are being chased by cops, Tanner stops and walks to the middle of the road where he fires multiple rounds at incoming police cars.
He then creates a diversion by drawling the determined lawmen to a mountain desert ridge where he hides and engages them all by himself using a sniper rifle. But Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton proves to be an even better gunslinger. He retreats to another ridge and takes out Tanner with a single shot to the head from miles away.
8 No Country For Old Men: Outstanding Villain
No Country for Old Men's antagonist is a ruthless hitman named Chigurh. The character is portrayed magnificently by Spanish actor Javier Bardem who also portrayed Raoul Silva—one of the greatest Bond villains of all time.
What makes Chigurh a great villain is that he didn't just kill. He plays mind games with his victims, like The Joker. He makes them determine their own fate using a coin toss. He also does outrageous things like allowing himself to be arrested just to test if he can break free.
7 Hell Or High Water: Outstanding Protagonist
No Country for Old Men has two protagonists namely Moss (Josh Brolin) and Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). These two characters, despite being portrayed by extremely talented actors, are completely outshined by the villain Chigurh.
They are ineffective too. Moss ends up dead while Bell can't even capture the man he is chasing. He even promises Moss's wife Carla that he'll protect her husband but he can't keep his promise. In Hell or High Water, Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton, on the other hand, is as effective as protagonists can be. He kills one of the criminals and has a Mexican standoff with the other that is only interrupted by their wife and kids.
6 No Country For Old Men: Better Ending
Speaking of the Mexican standoff in Hell or High Water, it's a shame that the scene didn't amount to much. One of the two men ought to have killed each other. Somehow, it felt like both Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges had "no character death" clauses in their contracts.
What makes No Country for Old Men's end beautiful is that the villain gets away (though injured). This is unique, given that most villains end up dead. One of the protagonists also ends up dead, thus giving viewers the heartbreaking death of a hero.
5 Hell Or High Water: Superior Plot
Plotwise, Hell or High Water is way superior to No Country for Old Men. In the former, two brothers are left in a dilemma after their mother dies. Their ranch is about to be foreclosed due to a mortgage. Oil has also been discovered in the ranch so they decide to rob the same bank that they owe money to in order to get enough money to pay the mortgage. The brothers then gamble the stolen money and use the winnings to pay.
In the latter, a Vietnam veteran stumbles upon two million in cash from a drug deal gone wrong. He decides to keep it but little does he know that a very skilled hitman has been hired to come and collect it. Sound great but it also sounds like a cliche plot. Hell or High Water's plot is way better.
4 No Country For Old Men: Scenery And Cinematography
No Country for Old Men was filmed in the New Mexico cities of Santa Fe and Albuquerque as well as Las Vegas. This explains the beautiful scenery. There's dust, desert, and water. Everything looks so lush and full of color despite the rural setting.
The cinematography is also crisp, thanks to the direction of the Coen Brothers and the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins who the brothers have worked with in over a dozen films.
3 Hell Or High Water: Costumes And Accents
The cowboy hats... what's a good Western without a cowboy hat? These are very common in Hell or High Water. And so are the boots, the jeans, and the shirts. The costumes in the films are designed to make the men look rugged and badass.
There are the accents too. They are deep and fluid. The manner in which everyone speaks gives the viewer the sense that they belong to the setting. The same can't be said of No Country for Old Men where Chigurh spoke like he was taunting James Bond.
2 No Country For Old Men: Accolades
No Country for Old Men was nominated for eight Oscars and managed to win four, including Best Picture. Hell or High Water was nominated for four Oscars but didn't win any.
The former also shined across all award organizations too, winning 74 awards from over 200 nominations while the latter only won 19 awards despite having hundreds of nominations too. The accolades give a clear picture of which the better movie is.
1 Hell Or High Water: Golden Quotes
Hell or High Water is chockfull of amazing dialogue. For example, when Marcus Hamilton saw an evangelist preaching on TV, he remarks: "He wouldn't know God if he crawled up his pant leg and bit him on the pecker."
There is also "I am a Comanche. Do you know what it means? It means 'Enemy to everyone'" by Bear and "Oh, who knows. Maybe one of these bank robbers is gonna want a gunfight and I can dodge my retirement in a blaze of glory."