Towards the end of the film “No Country for Old Men”, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell played by Tommy Lee Jones, goes to visit his wheelchair bound cousin, Ellis, played by Barry Corbin. Ellis informs Sheriff Bell he’s been recently corresponding with his wife by letter.
“Loretta tells me you’re quittin’. How come’re you doin’ that?
“I don’t know. I feel overmatched.” Replies Sheriff Bell.
Sheriff Bell is despondent. He’s seen the aftermath of a violent chase across Texas for a stolen $2 million and believes things have changed for the worse. Customs, beliefs, and behaviours of people aren’t what they once were. He’s struggling to accept the things he’s now seeing as a Sheriff, and he’s had no influence on anything. It’s 1980 and Bell’s a man pushing 60, so his elders were around at the end of the old west. He thinks that was a simpler and more upstanding time.
His cousin Ellis, in a wheelchair from his own brush with violence in the line of duty, recounts a story of their Uncle Mac who was killed on his front porch by Native Americans in 1909. Bell wants to believe things are getting harder and more wanton, but Ellis reminds him, “this country is hard on people. You can’t stop what’s comin’.” As one man in a rough country, Sheriff Bell was always overmatched.
Read the full “No Country for Old Stock Pickers” post.
Are you an Australian investor looking for financial clarity? If you’re a high net worth individual looking for financial advice, you should consider a high net worth financial adviser who can thoroughly assess your circumstances and provide a holistic wealth planning solution.
