Great acting - no payoff

Rating: 6/10 (31 August 2008)

It seems sometimes IMDb reviews are all or nothing. 1 if you don't like it or 10 if it was good. I think that this movie is a perfect "6". I give it the points because of the superb acting and the staging and cinematography are staggering at times. I will admit there was tension, and I cared about the people while I was watching. I was entertained. However, the story borders on ludicrous at times and there is no payoff. There are plot items that make no sense. The deputy turns his back on the person he just arrested and makes a phone call? Dozens of people are murdered and there is no manhunt for our psychopath? (in fact a certain disinterest) Josh Brolin, who was so careful earlier in the story, all of a sudden calls his wife and asks her to meet him. Even WE know that his wife will spill the location (Duhhh!). And what the heck was up with the random car accident? ...and many more. The moral of this movie is that the bad guy that wants to kill you WILL! and a lot of other nice people on the way. I think the dream story at the end is saying to us that the killer is going to get Tommy Lee Jones too, but the movie mercifully end before we see that! I guess if we had have seen that, then Javier Bardem could point his gun (or air gun) at the camera and kill us too!