mature

Rating: 9/10 (23 November 2007)

What do you know - the Coen brothers done grown up. Don't get me wrong: I've always been a fan. But I can't deny that in every movie up til now, they seemed to be winking at the audience. Not this time. In case you don't already know, this one is about a guy who finds a case full of money, and the guy who comes after him.
That's the plot, anyway; anyone expecting a conventional thriller will be disappointed. The movie is certainly very suspenseful, but if you're the type that needs narrative closure, this one isn't for you. The movie took me by surprise in its last act, when it sheds its thriller trappings to leave you gazing at what's been underneath them all along. I need to have another look to fully grasp what that is.
The only false note for me was Woody Harrelson's character. You could surgically remove him from the film, and you wouldn't be missing anything. I suspect the character played a more crucial part in the book, but he's kind of useless here.
Javier Bardem scared the crap out of me. And not just because of that haircut.