Doesn't feel like a thriller

Rating: 4/10 (30 October 2013)

Right from the start, you're immersed in this assumed slowness distinctive of the Cohen brothers, which wouldn't be annoying if it was justified, but here, and also in other productions of theirs, you're under the impression that it's just the reflection of a flagrant lack of substance.
The movie ultimately boils down to a banal settlement of scores story, a very conventional and linear Southern style manhunt. It is labelled as a thriller but it's hard to believe since the codes of the genre aren't perceptible: apart from a few very good scenes, the film as a whole doesn't convey any tension, any suspense, there's no build-up, and that's what's prejudicial.
What will be remembered is the excellent performances of Josh Brolin and of course Javier Bardem, because for the rest, it seems the Cohen brothers blew hot air.