Misses out of Academy "softness"

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2007)

Fans of FARGO will likely enjoy this quirky, subtly comic tale of crime in the American southwest. A case of drug money causes most of the tragedy, and cop Billy Bob Thornton is always just a step behind. But while FARGO was set in rural Minnesota, most of the action here is on the Border. There's no music on the soundtrack (until the film ends) - and nor is it the kind of tale that mixes well with music.
Oscar handicappers will probably be disappointed that NCFOM - with its grim fatalism - will likely be passed over a for less able film. At times, it's a rather cold story, but it keeps you thinking about uncomfortable truths, like it or not.