Question about No Country for Old Men

Submitted by CentralParker20 t3_10ppxuc in movies

Finally watched No Country for Old Men for the first time and have a plot question that’s nagging at me. After Moss throws the briefcase of money over the bridge when crossing the border, Wells later sees its location in the riverbank after visiting Moss at the hospital. Wells then goes to his hotel where he meets his demise. Moss then takes the money to the El Paso hotel room where Anton eventually retrieves it from the vent. Why did Wells not take the money after seeing it and how did Moss get it back after leaving the hospital? I’m confused why Wells didn’t grab the briefcase when he initially saw it. Did Moss somehow keep the money and throw the empty briefcase with the transponder over the bridge? Could Wells just not get to it since it was in the riverbank and then Moss retrieved it after leaving the hospital? I might be missing something obvious but this part left me confused as to how Moss left the hospital with the money.

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TotesObviThrwawy t1_j6ltc2e wrote

To be perfectly clear, I don't know much about the U.S/Mexico border in real life, but presumably, one can't simply hop over the fence in broad daylight without drawing a little attention.

Also of note, is Wells is a different type of person, perfectly willing to make a deal, and had already made one with Moss. In theory, he had no need of going to get it himself.

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the89delta t1_j6ltdl3 wrote

It seemed to me like Wells had every intention to return to the bridge. He was possibly eager to call his boss about it, knowing Moss was laid up in hospital. Sad too because Wells was the only character in the story who knew how dangerous the guy was.

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2BFrank69 t1_j6lw73l wrote

Woody was great in this with very limited screen time

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Elyx117 t1_j6lxyx6 wrote

Replying to the89delta (#1,647,935)

yea it was a simple decision on the spur of the moment, nothing mysterious to it. that, and probably the fact that it's under the broad day light. if he did that he'd definitely get nailed by the border guards in the nearby checkpoint.

but it wouldn't matter either way. you know what i mean.

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ZMysticCat t1_j6mj2fc wrote

First thing to note is that by this point in the story, Moss had already removed the transponder. It happened right before he and Anton had their confrontation that led to both getting injured. That meant that only Moss and Wells knew where the case was. Moss was in the hospital, so Wells had a comfortable advantage in retrieving it.

That's the core idea in his decision. There was no rush. There was no need to climb over a hard-to-climb fence in broad daylight in a suit, risking an injury and drawing attention. There was no need to immediately go trekking around in tall grass. Wells could wait for night, get backup, change into something more appropriate, and still likely be the one to retrieve the case.

That said, I don't believe it's ever explicitly stated what his plans were. He just clearly did not want to climb the fence.

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