BPR Rating = 7 (out of 10)
- A terrifying portrait of a driven sociopath – think “The Terminator” on Prozac
- Beautiful filmmaking with dark, convoluted overtones
- The value of human life sometimes hangs on the flip of a coin
- Leaves us hanging – so don’t believe all the hype
The Story Line A wild, bloody ride as a ruthless killer (Javier Bardem) ferociously traces a stash of missing drug money. Typical of the Coen Brothers unique vision, the film spins off into odd, quirky places but leaves loose, unfulfilled, story elements.
The 411 Fantastic cast: Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and an incredible performance by Javier Bardem. The film captures the peculiar tone and spirit of the Cormac McCarthy novel in a brilliant cinematic style. The Bottom Line No question: As filmmakers, the Coen brothers are superb. But the weak unfulfilled ending weakens the emotional impact and leaves us hungering for answers.
September 24, 2009 at 12:04 am
I didn’t mind the end. The sheriff has lost the bad guy, the bad guy has gotten away with nothing more than a broken arm and it was only random happenstance, and the cowboy has come up short in his competition with the bad guy to keep the money. It was all good illustration of the sheriff’s confusion and frustration. That’s what I took from it.
April 10, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Exactly! Javier Bardem was the very embodiment of evil (and Tommy Lee Jones gave a fantastic performance), but I felt so deprived, so left wanting, so unmoved by that ending that I “sort of” forgot all the great things that went before.