worthless story but great film-making

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2008)

A psychopath killing innocent people with an air gun is not deep or brilliant. Watching a defenseless old man being shot point blank in the head for no reason is not symbolic of some deeper meaning. It's a sick reflection of the Coen Brothers personal and mental problems. And enjoying this movie is the same thing as being fascinated by a car wreck and all the people laying on the street bleeding. This movie is nothing but a slasher film like Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street. Tommy Lee Jones character tried to throw some philosophy in there but it didn't amount to much. It's a chase film involving a bag full of money big deal.
But I gave this movie 8 stars for a few reasons. The Coen brothers are experts at creating tension and suspense. My eyes were glued to the screen the entire film. They let each scene breath. Most movies force everything down your throat with quick edits and dialouge as if the filmmakers are afraid that everyone has a short attention span. The Coen Brothers trust that the audience has brains and patience, and they're right.
But in order for these long scenes to work you need great actors and this movie had them. Josh Brolin was born to play this role and does a great job considering his character had little dialouge. Javier Bardem deserved the Oscar. I forgot I was watching an actor and believed he truly was a psychopath. His screen presence was overwhelming and I hung on to his every word and mannerism, wondering what he was going to do next. I think what the audience is waiting for, or hoping for in his character, is the slightest glimpse of humanity, compassion, or morality. Right before he was possibly about to kill someone, we wanted at least the slightest morsel of good to come out. That's what made it suspenseful.
However, even with the excellent direction of the Coens, and the great acting, I never want to see this movie again. Innocent, kind, defenseless old men brutally killed with a device used to kill cows is not entertaining a second time. It's not deep. It's not brilliant.