A western noir with a few flaws (very minor spoilers)

Rating: 7/10 (1 May 2018)

This western noir film from the Coen brothers is not that bad.
The cinematography is great, as is usual with Roger Deakins who has cooperated once more with the Coen Brothers. I also like the minimalist score, which created a suspencefull atmosphere and is nice for a change as many films have a very noticable score, diverting at least some attention from the film itself and giving cues to the viewer as to what is happening (which sometimes is too comfortable). The actors do a very good job, even Josh Brolin who I normally dislike. Javier Bardem does an especially good job as the figurative 'angel of death'.
The main problems mainly lie in the actual story. While I personally do appreciate and like the unusual story strucutre and the anticlimactic ending, many people don't and see it as a flaw. However I do see quite some flaws in the plot and in the characters. Besides a few plotholes (as I see them) I just don't see the point of certain characters (especially Woody Harrelson) in terms of their contribution to the story and the themes of the film. They are basically pure decoration to the story and could have been excludes without effect on the story. Furthermore while I find the themes of the film to be intriguing their depiction could have been better and have not been deeply explored. I have seen better films tackling such themes as coincidence, chance, morality and nihilism.
On a side note, I find the depiction of Mexico to be rather stereotypical (and not in an ironic way). Some people have metioned this film has a (stong) comedic side which I can't confirm, I only laughed two or three timed throughout the film. For anyone who can't see blood, this may not be your type of film.
Having said all this, I did enjoy watching this movie and I wasn't bored.