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40 comments
49 comments
Rank This Matchup or Comment/Reply Below
on 6/29/2009
One of the ultimate tough decisions.
on 7/8/2009
mossop ain't kidding, though I have to call it for NCFOM
on 7/9/2009
Hated No Country. Thought it was absolutely lazy filmmaking. Of course I am not a big Coen brothers fan either.
on 7/11/2009
Blood, no contest. The best film of 2007, easily one of the best of the 2000's. Paul Thomas Anderson stops aping Altman, and delivers a true masterpiece.
on 7/12/2009
I loved "No Country". I love the cast, I love the style, I love the Coens and Cormac McCarthy. But "There Will Be Blood" was *the* major cinematic coup of 2007. We're talking about a movie that will live forever, if only for Daniel Day-Lewis. But it's also a better film in nearly every way. I was riveted from the opening frame and was under a spell for 2.5 hours. When it was over, my first thought was to see it again ASAP. Oddly, I only loved "No Country" after repeat viewings. I think the hype led to a little bit of a backlash in my expectations. But, truly, a nearly flawless action movie (and that's ALL IT IS... AN ACTION MOVIE), but "There Will Be Blood" is a commanding work of art. Expect it to turn up on the next Sight & Sound poll.
on 7/13/2009
Clearly, 'There Will Be Blood' is much better!
Two absolutely insane movies loved them both but when it comes down to it I say No Country For Old Men Javier Bardem is ruthless!!
on 7/14/2009
Love them. 2007 was a brilliant year for Best Picture nominees, not a bad one in the bunch. There Will Be Blood is probably the quintissential actor's piece of our generation, and will be studied for decades. However, it is painfully slow. It is extremely hard to sit through more than once. No Country For Old Men is equally brilliant in subtlty, but requires a great deal of patience as well. However, it is the more exciting film, and if I'm being honest the complete cast of No Country was better to me than the complete cast of There Will Be Blood. It was truly every actor at their best. It's a very tough call, but I have to side with No Country on this one.
I hate to say it (who am I kidding, I LOVE to say it), but I think both of these films were lazy film making, at least as far as story is concerned. So there. I almost want to give it to There Will be Blood just because of "I drink your milkshake!" but I'll give it to No Country for Old Men because of the gorgeous cinematography and memorable characters.
I've had affairs with the cohens but i'll admit that there will be blood makes me pee in my pants !!!!!!! From the cinematography, the score, the acting, and the directing........there will be blood is the winner. Forget the "I drink your milkshake!" stuff. There will be blood is about America. It's not just about America - it's about humanity....screw everyone else as long as I have more than everyone else. No Country is AWESOME but in a hundred years.....they will still talk about THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
on 7/16/2009
Very tough choice, but There Will Be Blood is the clear winner for me. The acting won me over.
Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano were awesome in There will be blood. Tough but I gotta go with the movie that left a lasting impression.
I was greatly disappointed with both of these films but No Country for Old Men was more tolerable than There Will Be Blood.
on 7/18/2009
No Country has great actors doing some of their greatest work, but Daniel Day Lewis out does them all.
movies like ''there will be blood'' don't come out any more, and movies that defiy the audience like '' no country'' are hard to come by, ''there will be blood'' feels like if the spirit of kubrick had possesed P.T Anderson and delivered his last master piece.... tough call.... for now I'll go with ''no country fo old men'' since im a sucker for crime films... but I might change my mind later on.
on 7/30/2009
A pair of pessimistic theses: (No Country for Old Men) - "I don't want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don't understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He'd have to say, 'Okay...I'll be part of this world.'" (There Will Be Blood) - "I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed...If it's in me, it's in you...I see the worst in people. I don't need to look past seeing them to get all I need." I loved these films, and can find something new in each of them upon repeat viewings. Both are unpredictable, gut-wrenching, intelligent, merciless, odd, dark, beautiful and wildly entertaining. I think both will stand the test of time. Absolutely inspired film-making.
Two of the best films of the decade battle it out for supremacy. I prefer TWBB.
on 8/2/2009
I felt that No Country worked brilliantly as a book but did not hold up so well in the literal form that is film. My vote goes to There Will Be Blood.
on 8/21/2009
No Country For Old Men. Becuase I liked it more and that's what Flickchart is about.
on 8/24/2009
There will be Blood but only by a slim win. If There Will be Blood was made last year it would have beaten the weak Slumdog Millionaire for best picture at the oscars and likely would have swept all other categories in the weakest year of films I can remember
on 8/27/2009
"Friend-O" vs. "I Drink Your Milkshake!" Tough call, but There Will Be Blood amazed me. The cinematography made me realize that's what I want to make a career out of. As much as I love the Cohen Bros, I admire PT Anderson's film-making despite people accusing him of stealing other's techniques.
on 9/2/2009
Very tough but I'll go with no country
on 9/5/2009
I enjoyed both a lot, but No Country wins in my mind, because though There Will be Blood was good, it felt like it was being carried by Daniel Day Lewis' performance. I can say easily he deserved best actor, but as a film on the whole, No Country was better, and drew me in far more than There Will Be Blood. Not saying that it is miles better, but I think it is the better film.
on 9/21/2009
I agree 100% with The Movie Whore here, except I like some of the Coen Brothers films. The recent ones have just seemed to be a rewrapping of their previous storys, horribly implemented. 'There Will Be Blood' is one of those few films that I consider perfect.
on 9/30/2009
At the time they were released I was on the NO COUNTRY bandwagon, but over time BLOOD became the one that has stained my memory. What an amazingly unique filmmaker PTA is to have created such an uncompromising, troubling and beautiful film.
on 10/7/2009
There Will Be Blood was perfect. Daniel Day-Lewis is maybe the best actor ever born. No Country For Old Men was good, though it was too long, and had a few loose ends.
on 10/10/2009
They're both fantastic movies, but No Country wins on rewatchability. Is that a word?
on 10/21/2009
The real question: what's more captivating, the descent into madness from obsession, or the frightening inevitability that awaits us all with death? Of course, one theme is told with more edge-of-your-seat tension, and the other with slow, steadily increasing anxiety. I pick NCfOM, considering it the Coens' best, but that's not to put down Anderson's masterpiece.
on 11/14/2009
I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!
on 11/16/2009
Great movies. But I think No Country for Old Men handled the later half of the film a lot better than There Will Be Blood. Either way, a very tough choice.
i liked both of these. i actually think ..blood is better but i never want to watch it again whereas i bought no country on dvd as soon as it was released
this will be a classic contest in movie history. in one corner: Coen Brothers, the tighter film-makers, near-perfect, only Fargo trumps their second masterpiece. and in the other corner, PTAnderson, one of the most epic, stylistic film-makers of the current generation, telling uniquely unforgettable films, but more enigmatic than the Coens... i'm going Fargo, There Will Be Blood, then No Country.
on 11/17/2009
I any other year, "No Country" would have been the Best Picture. But I must say... P.T. got robbed.
on 11/18/2009
Interestingly enough, after seeing both of these films for the first time at the theater, I thought No Country was the best - by a hair (both brilliant though). I then saw them both again in the following weeks, and changed my vote to TWBB... I think I caught a lot more the second time around, and I was able to appreciate DDL's performance even more. Now, after owning both movies and seeing them a few times at home, my vote goes back to No Country. While they are both in my all-time favorites, No Country gets better with every viewing. I've cannot recall any other movie that has this much tension dripping from every scene... despite at least 6 viewings, I still am on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to watch No Country again... I can't say that anymore about TWBB.
on 12/5/2009
Both great films, I'd say, but to me the winner would have to be TWBB. Daniel Day Lewis' performance was gripping. To this day the final scene in the bowling alley still haunts my mind. Oh and not to mention the music!! It captured the mood of the film perfectly. Such an amazing film.
on 12/7/2009
They were both great movies but in the time since I've seen them, TWBB just has a grip on me that No Country doesn't.
on 12/8/2009
There Will Be Blood gets my vote. For some odd reason I have not been able to get into the Coen Brother's work. I know it's all good, I can see that it's good, but it just doesn't hit me right. Maybe I'll enjoy them more with age.
on 12/14/2009
These 2 movies went head-to-head at the Oscars in 08 and are now squaring off on my flickchart top 20. However, unlike the Oscars that year, my nod goes to PTA's There Will Be Blood. In addition to Daniel Day-Lewis' tour-de-force performance, Anderson displays masterful story telling and film making, highlighting not only Plainview's descent into greed, the movie also serves as a commentary on the foundations of turn of the century capitalism that exists today.
on 12/15/2009
Daniel Day-Lewis in a long historical epic picture. How can you go wrong? Sorry, but the cohen brothers did'nt win me over with NCFOM...
on 12/18/2009
Very tough to call this one without feeling like your letting down the movie that comes out the loser. No Country is tightly told, driven and tense throughout. The direction is impeccable and every frame is marvelously minamilist while communicating volumes (the scuff marks on the floor is a great example). The relentleness of both Daniel Plainview and the plot of There Will Be Blood is awe inspiring and well embelished by the haunting sound track. In the end the humanity of Tommy Lee Jones and the decidedly inhuman turn of Bardem as Chigurh (all time great movie bad guy) gets the Coen Bros the nod.
on 12/22/2009
This film needs to be broken down into categories. The direction (tie). Beginning TWBB with about 20 minutes without any dialogue was risky move and it paid off. PTA and the Coen Brothers are both on the short list of best working directors and both show exactly why with both of these films. Acting (winner:there will be blood) Daniel Day Lewis is the best actor working right now. Story (Winner: No Country for Old Men) This narrowly wins because it had the better source material to work with. Cormac McArthy is a genius. Which FIlm stuck with me longer after I watch it (winner: TWBB) Daniel Day Lewis' performance was haunting Which movie would i rather watch again. Winner (No Country For Old Men) Many of the Themes in TWBB made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. While this is one of its strengths, it is also a reason why I do not want to relive this film. The Coen Brothers are experts in bringing the viewer along for the ride. NCFOM is a movie I could watch everyday. The Verdict (The Winner is...No County For Old Men) Both Are amazing films. I may actually be more of a PTA fan, but in this particular case, I enjoyed the Coen Brothers' film just a little bit more.
on 12/24/2009
There Will Be Blood has one of the greatest, most inevitable yet still shocking endings ever. No Country For Old Men lacks an ending. I'll stick with PT Anderson and Daniel Day Lewis any day.
on 12/27/2009
I would have to go with TWBB. It's my favorite movie of the decade. However, I really love No Country. That year was such a good year for films but I felt that TWBB got robbed at the Oscars. It should have won Best Picture. As great as No Country was there was no risk to it. It was too clean and with the lack of risk came a lack of reward. TWBB had plenty of risks from the virtually silent beginning to the insane end and all of those risks paid off. I also agree with one of the posters here, no one makes movies like TWBB anymore. It will end up being one of the timeless films of the 2000's.
on 1/10/2010
their both very overrated but i would have to go with no country for old men
on 1/22/2010
Someone mentioned earlier in this discussion how uncomfortable it would be to watch TWBB again. I completely agree and this is one of the major reasons I go with No Country: both movies raise such uncomfortable issues but at least TWBB gives you a traditional movie ending. The Coen's suck you in for 2 hours with a beautifully crafted film and when the plot finally reveals itself as the inevitability of death, age, and the triumph of evil, the movie ends. As a viewer you are left with no conclusion but to ponder about our own meaningless existence.
on 1/25/2010
The two best movies nominated for an Oscar in I don't know how long. These are both in my Top 20, but I guess I would rate No Country a few notches higher. That may change one day. Both are endlessly entertaining.
on 2/1/2010
There will be blood was good but nothing original. No country for old men brings back film noir, and it has one of the best villians on history
on 2/23/2010
Oh, God! That's tough question. Actually I love both movies. I cannot decide, I just can't dammit. I have to think about that one.
on 3/25/2010
Easy for me.The winner is There Will Be Blood.Its a great film, i never thought i would like this movie but i like it. No Country for Old Men, i still dont know why it has won the Best Picture.
on 4/5/2010
22 comments a piece. As the official tie-breaker I am... ah fuck it I'm on the fence.
on 5/13/2010
TWBB has been such a revelation to me ! So it can't... Oh God, NCFOM has also been a revelation. PTA wins, and I just don't know why.
on 6/22/2010
There Will Be Blood........I said it.
on 7/31/2010
Some of the best films made in the 00s!
on 8/5/2010
Have to call it...No Country for Old Men.
I don't love either of these movies as much as most people seem to, but both have good stuff. I loved the opening of There Will Be Blood, with no dialogue and just a great performance by Day-Lewis. But I have an issue with long movies that FEEL long, and TWBB did feel like it to me. No Country, meanwhile, was well on its way to being a new all-time favorite...until that non-ending came and smacked me upside the head. I have a feeling I'd like it better if I saw it again. So basically, TWBB was pretty good, but only one of these threatened to be one of the best movies I've ever seen, and that was No Country for Old Men, which hooked me for the first three quarters, then hung me out to dry.
(Insert reference to "MILKSAHKE!" here). I still think that There Will Be Blood should have won best picture over No Country For Old Men.
on 8/10/2010
There Will Be Blood wins by a longshot. I have enjoyed multiple viewings for each and recently re-watched No Country and it just seems to drag on and on which is quite surprising enough. Yes, Javier Bardem is a goddamn badass but you cant top Daniel Day Lewis' performance - hell the first 10 mins he doesnt even say anything. Its just simply a extraordinarily riveting, galvanizing performance. Plus, cinematography wise...There Will Be Blood edges out past No Country For Old men - its a goddamn beautiful film
Daniel Plainview over Anton Chigurh any day....
on 11/18/2010
The Reel Rumble is a joke, right? The only category they give to No Country is performances - the one it clearly doesn't deserve? Daniel Day-Lewis gives the performance of the decade in There Will Be Blood, but it's a messy masterpiece compared to No Country's polished perfection that outshines it at nearly every juncture.
on 12/30/2010
NO COUNTRY has been a work in progress for the Coens. The have made road movies, gangster movies and detective movies, and No Country is the wrapped up present that they have been working on for decades, and it is awesome. But It is a genre film from genre filmmakers, original ones they may be. There Will Be Blood is completely incomparable to any modern piece of cinema, and completely unrecognizable from Paul Thomas Anderson's other work. It is such a force of nature that it is no one's wheelhouse and never will be. Creatively, both are supremely amazing and after watching True Grit I think there will be a ton more discussions over these filmmaker's work.
on 1/20/2011
There Will Be Blood is the winner, one of the greatest final shots of all time.
on 2/13/2011
No Country for Old Men, definitely. Has more substance, suspense, and overall more interesting characters. There Will Be Blood is great, but not as deep as everyone seems to think it is.
on 3/24/2011
there will be blood doesnt even come close to No Country for Old Men. No Country for Old Men had a great cast and was suspenseful. There will be blood was a blah movie.
These two movies are tied for number 1 on my favorite movies of all time. @moviewhore - i was appalled to see you thought no country was lazy filmmaking and you weren't a coens fan, but then I saw that 5 of your top 20 were kevin smith or had something to do with him. Then it all made sense. But I'm literally having to flip a coin on this one... No Country won.
on 4/26/2011
There Will Be Blood wins for me because it is the more complete film. They are neck and neck for a while, but with the death of a main character, No Country loses its way and starts to meander too much. I realize it is sticking very close to the novel in that regard, but sometimes you have to realize when you've hit your mark and wrap things up.
on 5/8/2011
Both tremendous achievements, but TWBB is a flat-out masterpiece that should be ranked with many of the highly-regarded classics of yesteryear.
on 5/16/2011
No Country For Old Men wins in my book. All the performances are great, the direction is impeccible, and the film is very thrilling. There Will Be Blood has a great performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, but that's all there really is to recommend it. It is long and meandering, and ultimately a bit ridiculous at the end.
on 5/19/2011
Naburling, you read my mind. Only thing holding back No Country from greatness is that lame sudden ending.
on 5/29/2011
No Country for Old Men will always get my pick over a ton of different films only mainly because it's flawless. Perfect acting, perfect story, and the old Coen formula blend perfectly. The only 2 things I enjoyed in There Will Be Blood were the first 20 minutes where nobody talked, and Day-Lewis's performance, that's it. It was shallow and dragged on for too long without getting anywhere. No Country is a masterpiece.
on 6/12/2011
Both two outstanding movies from 2007. No Country is my all-time #1, so I'm never picking against it. Perfect movie. However, There Will Be Blood was an outstanding film, as well.
Both are EXCELLENT. First, I just have to say that I can't stand all the complaining that people do about No Country's so-called "non-ending". I find absolutely nothing wrong with it. That ending perfectly concluded the film on a ponderous note that- if the viewer allows it too- permeates the mind for hours afterward. *exhale* Ok, moving on, I must state that TWBB is a masterpiece through and through. The camerawork by Robert Elswitt, PTA's assured direction, DDL's performance (Which deserves to be put in the pantheon of greatest perfs of all-time), the brilliant script... all of this is extremely well done. It is the finest film of its year and IMO, the finest of the decade. I love, love, love NCFOM, and I have nothing but respect for it, but it cannot compare to the sheer size of the monstrous achievement that is "There Will be Blood".
on 6/18/2011
I'm not gonna get into explaining which film I prefer, because I'll probably be writing for hours. So I'll just say I like No Country For Old Men more.
on 7/20/2011
Let's be fair, Blood was screwed at the Oscars. The sheer ferocity of Daniel is absolutely unmatched (especially paired with Javier).
Liked both...loved neither. Bardem is just too much to overlook though...everyone fears the cattle gun...
on 7/25/2011
THERE WILL BE BLOOD!!!!
on 7/30/2011
Neither. Tied in mediocrity.
on 8/13/2011
No Country For Old Men Is awesome, It's Nearly Flawless, Awesome Acting, Awesome Story, Awesome Everything, Anton Chigurh is One of My favorite antagonists of all time, However.. Daniel Day Lewis's Performance alone trumps all that.
When I saw there will be blood the first time I was falling asleep so I had to view it again when I was switched on. Comparing both, they are both masterpieces but blood has many moments throughout which carry a raw emotional power which I havent seen in any other film. The opposing poles of day-Lewis and dano are awesome and when they collide it's truly a sight to behold. day-Lewis' performance is one of the best in cinematic history and the fact that dano holds his own in the supporting role is nothing short of a miracle. His performance is great, the sweeping landscape is breathe taking and the music score eccentricity only adds to the films unique structure. No country is a very good movie but the end didn't deliver the punch I was after, although the ending is actually quite fitting. Bloods' last scene will go down in history and will surely be parodied a lot in the near future. Bloods' emotional core runs deeper than any film I can recall. It's gets more brilliant each time I watch it and I won't be surprised if it topples shawshank as my favorite film of all time. There will be blood all the way!!!
on 8/14/2011
Hard choice but I'll go with TWBB
on 8/16/2011
There will be blood!
on 9/18/2011
i dont know what is wrong with me or every one else but i thought there will be blood was not even that good of a movie i did not think it was bad mind u but i did not love it like everyone else did i thought it was too slow and boring at times i was not captivated by it like most of u were and there will be blood is not a movie i plan on watching again but not country for old men is a movie i plan on watching multiple times come on be honest with ur selfs was there will be blood that great and ground breaking of a movie to all of u personaly or is that what alot of ppl tell u it is
on 10/14/2011
First time I saw it I was taken aback by how different it was. After a second viewing I realized it's brilliance. Trust me happyhank25, this film rewards multiple viewings. But no country is definitely more palatable to a mainstream audience. That's why it won the Oscar, blood was the better film in most critic/ film buff eyes but mainstream audiences didnt have the patience for a slow burn film such as there will be blood. Everyone I ask who I would label 'mainstream' always say it is slow. Like 'the tree of life' this film rewards the patient viewer. But bloody hell, 2007 was a good year!
there will be blood is easily (to me) the better film. i thought no country was overrated. every aspect of there will be blood was better.
I worry about revisiting these movies. I've rated them highly in the past but I suspect that my days of tolerance are coming to an end. A year and half ago I was on th fence. Now, with my threshhold for nothingness considerably reduced, it's clear that TWBB will be far more taxing on my patience. Sad in some ways. @People up top: Isn't NCFOM's ending 'supposed' to be a non-ending? I don't remember much of the movie, but I do distinctly remember thinking that the conclusion was... 'meant to be'. @kingofpain: So, you've found two movies that are endlessly entertaining. Will you now just grab a good chair, strip to your underwear and watch it until you die? You're probably gonna need to order a lot of pizza, too. =)
You got me there. I might've succumbed to a bit of the hyperbole in my enthusiasm for these films. I'm not proud of it. Generally, I try to avoid putting all my cards on the table when it comes to my feelings about movies. (NOTE: I tried to think of a way to differentiate "infinitely" from "endlessly", but I figured I'd look like I was attempting to weasel.)
on 10/30/2011
There will be blood easily
on Nov 20
I thought There Will Be Blood was rather overrated. It's No Country for Old Men for me!
These are the two greatest films of 2007. No Country won the oscar for best picture, and I thought it was the perfect choice... untill I saw There Will Be Blood, which is an amazing 5 star masterpiece that is now in my top 10.
I have to say No Country because it didn't hinge its entire premise on one great character, it had a whole great cast behind it, w00t Coens!
on Nov 26
There Will Be Blood. It isn't a landslide by any means. These two films, and partially Atonement, made 2007 the best year for movies in a long time and still the best year in recent history. As weird as it sounds I'm gonna compare Blood to Batman Returns. Blood is obviously better than ANY Batman movie but bear with me. Batman Returns is arguably the 4th best Bat film but it's ambitions could make it the second or third best. There Will Be Blood's ambitions due it for me. There is certainly something to be said for a tight film, Back to The Future is one of the best scripts ever for that very reason. Still everything about There Will Be Blood makes me smile every time I watch it. Also, it was with this film, PT Anderson cemented himself as one of the best filmmakers of the 2000s generation.
on Dec 1
Agree with you totally tl8706, there will be blood has great ambition and pt. Anderson is a great director. Easily there will be blood!
There will be Blood all the way!
on Dec 11
there will be blood easily
on Dec 20
Both movies changed the way I watched movies forever. Daniel Day Lewis certainly out-acted everyone in No Country For Old Men but beyond that, both a special place in my heart as a movie that made me reconsider human capacity for evil. No Country, however, has a tone that will never be recreated. No Country found me puzzled as to what this man was truly motivated by, if anything. He was a monster, whereas Plainview was a man. No Country For Old Men stays with me forever.
on Jan 7
I believe they are both perfect movies, but slight edge to No Country for Old Men
on Jan 8
I give my edge to There will be Blood.
on Jan 28
Though I'd lend my support to the Coens over PTA nearly every time, I give the slight nod to Blood. Both films are the best fictional films of the 2000's.
on Saturday
There Will be Blood just holds up better after numerous viewings. I love them both.
