Almost a great movie

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2008)

Shrewd, resourceful Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss (the excellent Josh Brolin) stumbles across a bunch of dead bodies, a pick-up full of heroin, and a bag with two million bucks worth of drug money in it. Moss decides to take the bag. This in turn makes Moss the target of vicious and remorseless psychopath Anton Chigurh (a splendidly chilling performance by Javier Bardem), who engages in a lethal game of cat and mouse with Moss. Meanwhile, cagey, weary Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (the always fine Tommy Lee Jones) investigates and tries to find Moss before it's too late. Joel and Ethan Coen have expertly crafted a tense, gripping and understated crime thriller that for the most part works like gangbusters: the sterling performances from a sturdy cast, the bleak, fatalistic tone, Roger Deakins' crisp, striking cinematography, the startling outbursts of shockingly brutal violence, several inspired moments of pitch black humor (the scene between Chigurh and a befuddled gas station proprietor is an amusingly edgy little gem), Carter Burwell's spare, moody score, the vivid evocation of the dusty, desolate rural terrain and the everyday folks who inhabit the region, the provocative central theme about a dying code of honor and decency, and a few well-staged action set pieces (a protracted shoot-out between Moss and Chugurh in the empty dark streets of a small town rates as a definite exciting highlight) are all uniformly spot-on. Brolin, Bardem, and Jones all shine in their meaty parts, with Barden especially memorable as one seriously scary and nasty villain. Moreover, there are nice supporting turns by Woody Harrelson as cocky, amiable hoodlum Carson Wells, Kelly McDonald as Moss' sweet, concerned wife Carla Jean, Garret Dillahunt as the eager Deputy Wendell, Tess Harper as Bell's sassy wife Loretta, and Barry Corbin as crusty, crippled old coot Ellis. WARNING: Possible *SPOILERS* ahead. However, the film really falters in the annoyingly vague and meandering last third. Moreover, Moss gets abruptly bumped off in a most frustrating and dissatisfying way. That criticism aside, this is still a highly impressive and engrossing winner.