Fargo & No Country

The two Coen Brothers' films, Fargo and No Country for Old Men, are both highly acclaimed movies. Both are quite similar, with very similar plot points. They're known for their loveable, quirky characters, living happily, almost obliviously in their folksy world. One thing that is noticeable with both Coen Brothres' film, is that the action is abrupt. The violence will occur in quick, short bursts, before the movie goes back to the folksy atmosphere that it had before. Its's a dark break from the calmness that they had beforehand. But the difference is with the deliverance of the violence. In Fargo, the violence is offset by a strange, twisted kind of dark comedy. The violence is graphic, but the way the characters act so nonchalantly about death and morality, coupled with the sudden violence, creates a kind of shock value that makes the viewer kind of laugh at the whole thing, while being disturbed at the same time. In No Country for Old Men, this is not so much the case. There is little comedy to be found in it, as most of the characters are somber, world-weary men, especially Officer Ed Tom Bell. Focus is put on the message of a new, more violent world emerging while the convenience and geniality of a simpler time is long gone. Tom Bell says this or hints at something to this effect several times throughout the movie. It is a lot more somber, and most of the comedy is found in the fact that there's an emotionless killer interacting with a town full of inexperienced country folk more than anything else.