When the film continues far beyond the point that the expected narrative structure breaks down, viewers are left to grasp at what the film is actually about. What, if anything, is this film trying to say? Critic Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stated that "the savoury, serio-comic tang of the Coens' film-making style is recognisably present, as is their predilection for the weirdness of hotels and motels". But he added that they "have found something that has heightened and deepened their identity as film-makers: a real sense of seriousness, a sense that their offbeat Americana and gruesome and surreal comic contortions can really be more than the sum of their parts". [66] Piazza, Roberta; Bednarek, Monika; Rossi, Fabio (2011), Telecinematic Discourse: Approaches to the Language of Films and Television Series, Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Co., ISBN 978-90-272-8515-7 a b Rogers, Troy. "Joel & Ethan Coen– No Country for Old Men Interview". Deadbolt.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011 . Retrieved November 26, 2007. Boule'; McCaffrey. (2011), Chapter 8: Crimes of Passion, Freedom and a Clash of Sartrean Moralities in the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, by McCaffrey, Enda, p. 131-138

Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 23, 2008 . Retrieved February 25, 2008. Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the film on DVD and in the high definition Blu-ray format on March 11, 2008, in the United States. The only extras are three behind-the-scenes featurettes. [97] The release topped the home video rental charts upon release and remained in the top 10 positions for the first 5 weeks. [98] Stratton, David. "No Country for Old Men interview". At the Movies. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008 . Retrieved March 24, 2008.Joel Coen seems to agree. In an interview with David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph, Gritten states that "overall [the film] seems to belong in a rarefied category of Coen films occupied only by Fargo (1996), which ... is also a crime story with a decent small-town sheriff as its central character. Joel sighs. 'I know. There are parallels.' He shakes his head. 'These things really should seem obvious to us.'" [45] In addition, Ethan Coen states that "we're not conscious of it, [and] to the extent that we are, we try to avoid it. The similarity to Fargo did occur to us, not that it was a good or a bad thing. That's the only thing that comes to mind as being reminiscent of our own movies, [and] it is by accident." [73] a b c Turan, Kenneth (May 18, 2007). "Coens' Brutal Brilliance Again on Display". Los Angeles Times. New York Times critic A. O. Scott observes that Chigurh, Moss, and Bell each "occupy the screen one at a time, almost never appearing in the frame together, even as their fates become ever more intimately entwined." [63] a b Murray, Rebecca. "Josh Brolin Discusses No Country for Old Men". About.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016 . Retrieved November 27, 2007. Giles, Jeff (December 10, 2007). "There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men Top Critics' Awards: New York, LA, Boston and D.C. scribes honor the best of 2007". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 22, 2007.

David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph wonders: "Are the Coens finally growing up?" He adds: "If [the film] feels pessimistic, Joel insists that's not the Coens' responsibility: 'I don't think the movie is more or less so than the novel. We tried to give it the same feeling.' The brothers do concede, however, that it's a dark piece of storytelling. 'It's refreshing for us to do different kinds of things,' says Ethan, 'and we'd just done a couple of comedies.'" [45] Musical score and sound [ edit ]Stein, Ruth (October 28, 2007). "Josh Brolin gets Oscar buzz for 'No Country for Old Men' ". San Francisco Chronicle. Gillmore, though, thinks that it is "a mixing of the two great American movie genres, the western and film noir," which "reflect the two sides of the American psyche. On the one hand, there is a western in which the westerner is faced with overwhelming odds, but between his perseverance and his skill, he overcomes the odds and triumphs. ... In film noir, on the other hand, the hero is smart (more or less) and wily and there are many obstacles to overcome, the odds are against him, and, in fact, he fails to overcome them. ... This genre reflects the pessimism and fatalism of the American psyche. With No Country for Old Men, the Coens combine these two genres into one movie. It is a western with a tragic, existential, film noir ending." [33] Themes and analysis [ edit ]