A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2010)

For the first time in weeks, I saw a movie I knew nearly nothing about going into. All I knew was the incredible praise for this picture, and literally nothing more. Except for the wood chipper scene.
The story starts off simply enough. A man requiring a somewhat humbling amount of money for a business investment hires two goons to kidnap his wife and split the ransom with him, due to the fact that his wife's father is overprotective and very wealthy.
Well, they do kidnap her, but due to not putting their plates on their car, supplied to him by the man that hired them, they get pulled over, and the venture turns murderous. This puts a pregnant cop, played by Frances Mcdormand, on the case of these murderers.
I refuse to reveal any more, as I am afraid I have already revealed too much. The movie is outstanding and consistently intelligent, setting up very complex conflicts that are not directly explained to the audience. We have to actively understand what is happening to appreciate why some of the characters are so distressed.
This is a thriller at its purest, maybe the best of the Coens' works. Some have labeled it a black comedy, but I don't find too much amusing about this very dark, but very brilliant tale.