Imperfect, but undeniably well crafted.

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2016)

This is an excellent piece of visual story telling, but it does fall short in places. Some of the characters' motives, goals, and roles in the story did not feel well developed. Chigurh obviously does not behave according to the conventions of most characters because that's the kind of character he is. But Ed Tom Bell and especially Carson Wells did not seem to have a solid purpose. Part of the reason I think this may be that the dialogue was a bit hard to hear because of how quiet it often is and the way the actors employ the southern accents. Perhaps it's also because I didn't care to know very much about Wells and Bell. Still, many of the characters did not stick with me enough for me to remember who died and how they died.
That aside, it was a pretty good story that was told in a way that fit the story. The non- dialogue scenes were, in my opinion, the best. The introduction of Llewelyn and his journey to the briefcase was done well, and the scenes within the hotel rooms were all fabulous. They created genuine suspense, something that is rarely found anymore. It felt suspenseful, because there was no assurance that any one character would or would not die, which creates true mystery and consequently true suspense.
However, these great scenes come at the sacrifice of the overall story. There is an overall plot, but many of the most notable scenes are not actually that necessary to the larger story. The coin flip scene at the gas station, while it was very intense and engaging, served little purpose. It did not reveal anything about Chigurh that had not already been revealed and did nothing to advance the plot. It only served in establishing the coin flip device, which did not call for a four-minute scene. Bell's description of his dream at the end seemed similarly unimportant, not adding any evident coherence to the story or the overall theme.
Most of the problems I have outlined are preferential. The script and directing are exceptional and should be used as a model for anyone who wants to write or direct movies. It creates a villain that is intimidating and memorable. There may be a theme here if one is willing to look hard enough, but I couldn't tell you what it is.
This is not a pleasant movie, but it is a good one. I don't recommend it if you only watch movies for entertainment. It isn't boring, but it is meant to be a work of art rather than a movie for the audience to have fun watching. The four Oscars that the film won are deserved, but do not watch it because of the Oscars; they will not make you like it more. If you do decide to watch it, I would recommend that you try to engage yourself in it. The more you put in, the more you'll get out. Overall Rating: 8.1/10.