Like one of those high school dating nightmares

Rating: 3/10 (2 December 2007)

I kind of feel like I've been taken out on a date by some chick way out of my league who leads me on through the night then dumps me at the end for someone else. A part of me still wants to like her (this movie) because it showed such great potential. Both the main character, the Nam vet Moss, and the villain were impressive in their resourcefulness without being typical, over-the-top, Hollywood-style heroes and anti-heroes. I wasn't too impressed with either Woody Harrelson's or Tommy Lee Jone's characters, but they were secondary to the main contest. I was looking forward to the actual showdown though. Instead, Moss is killed by banditos, a scene which we are deprived of for some reason. The villain later kills Moss's wife and then, after an unrelated car crash, stumbles away and we never find out his ultimate fate. After the death of Moss and his wife (I still wasn't even sure at that point if Moss was really even dead), I thought, 'Ok, now it'll come down to a showdown between Tommy Lee Jones and the villain. Surely, he won't let him get away with killing the sweet, innocent wife." Guess again! Instead, what we are treated to is this drawn out exploration of Tommy Lee Jone's internal and external relationships as he decides to call it quits! WTF is up with Hollywood?! Last weekend, I made the mistake of watching King's crapfest, defeatist "Horror" flick, The Mist, where all the main heroes have a suicide pact at the end rather than take their chances and fight to survive against the monster bugs. This weekend, I was treated to another defeatist ending where the aging sheriff calls it quits and decides to enjoy his pension rather than put his life on the line to kill this psychopath. Wow, there's some inspiration for the next generation... What's next? Harry Potter kills all his friends at Hogwart then himself?! 3 stars for the first 3/4 of the movie P.S. Yes, I understand "real life" doesn't always work out but I didn't need to waste $12 bucks and 2 1/2 hours to have it pointed out again for me. Thanks anyway.