The Key to the Movie is. . .

Rating: 9/10 (23 November 2008)

So, you saw the film, and you didn't get it, or maybe you thought "there was nothing TO get!" Well, I too love a good action movie with lots of unbelievable chase scenes and explosions and nice clean ending that wraps everything up neatly, and you can watch this movie and enjoy the action and the thrill of the hunt/chase which is really well filmed/edited (although there's not nearly enough to call this an "action" movie), but THAT is not what this film is really about.
And I'm not sure I should really tell you what it's about, but I will direct you how to get there.
The key is Tommy Lee Jones' dialog throughout the film, especially his voice-over at the very beginning (that you forget all about once the movie is going), but also his various interactions with his co-workers and friends. If you can watch the movie on DVD you should NOT tune out his dialog, you should pay very close attention to it. There are certain key phrases that come up that are deep and true and ring out like a Bible verse or a haiku. The movie is not about two men fighting over money, the movie is about Sheriff Ed Tom Bell; the rest of the action is a musical counterpoint to him. I suspect a lot of people get it backwards and come away confused.
There are some other themes in the movie (chance, fate, justice) that I find less important, but certainly they are there and shouldn't be ignored.
I have watched this film over and over the last few weeks, and come away every time with a strange feeling inside, a kind of "existential spiritualism" that I can't quite put a finger on. The movie is that deep if you give it the chance.