And I join you in that anticipation, as clearly I am a huge Coens fan. But to be frank, I find myself a bit resentful of the implication that merely because I happen to enjoy “childish violent movies,” that I am unhappy with other films. Even conceding to you the notion that Tarantino’s work tends to be exploitative (a notion that can be argued, but I actually mostly agree with that), No Country for Old Men is far from being shallow and gratuitous in my estimation. The story is about the changing mores in American society, especially as one finds it at the dawn of the Reagan era, when the residual effects of Watergate and Vietnam (and possibly disco) had taken their utter toll on American innocence (for lack of a better word). Therefore, the violence that permeates the film (as well as the novel) coupled with the existential ennui (leading to perhaps a less than “meaningful” conclusion in any traditional sense) is absolutely intrinsic to the finished product.

Obviously, everyone is entitled to his or her personal taste, but simply because one doesn’t like a film doesn’t mean it’s without merit and it shouldn’t reflect poorly on those who enjoy it.