Just how violent in "No Country for Old Men"?

Question

I loved "Fargo", but that was a comical movie and NCFOM looks really dark.

Sorry, "in" should be "is" in my original question.

Answer 1

Alright, here's a question, how much were you put off by the "woodcutter" scene in 'Fargo'? Because that's more or less about the nature of the most extreme violence in the film. Honestly, after a second viewing, I realized the film wasn't as violent as I had first imagined it; I credit the Coen brothers for the ability to juxtapose moments of "expected gore/shock" with strong, inconspicuous cinematic technique.

The remnants of victims is probably the most off-putting element of the film, but even those moments hardly linger and are contrasted with moments of humor (yes, even with the dead dog) just like 'Fargo.'

By all means, go see it. And a word of advice, pay careful attention to the "cosmic elements" of the films narrative because many people are ignoring the various monologues and voiceovers and being deprived of full thematic enjoyment.

Answer 2

I saw it last night, actually. It was pretty violent, but the majority of it showed the after-effects and not the actual event. There are lots of scenes featuring blood, murdered animals, and dead bodies. A few scenes feature the actual act of shooting people to death, with some of them more graphic than others. It was darker than Fargo, but it did have a few moments that made you chuckle.

The action scenes were good, but the movie dragged a lot (as did the book) - there are some scenes that could have been cut without losing any plot, and those were incredibly dull to watch.