Disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (21 September 2008)

As a long-time avid fan of the Coen brothers, I felt let down by this latest effort. While the story line was easy enough to understand, it felt contrived and forced. I especially found it hard to believe that these well-educated, erudite characters would use such language to this extent; it eroded my suspension of disbelief...I spent two years on an aircraft carrier during Vietnam so I am no stranger to the repeated use of the f-word among the lesser-educated ranks but, one never heard an officer talk like John Malkovich's character...I think maybe the Coens were suffering from a mild attack of creativity failure; this movie was not up to some of their recent efforts ("O Brother, Where Art Thou ?" comes to mind, a movie on my top 20 fav list along with "Fargo"). Perhaps writing "No Country for Old Men" at the same time was just too demanding. I look forward to their next effort and hope they regain their rhythm...