A better than average psychopathic killer movie

Rating: 7/10 (26 October 2010)

In 'No Country for Old Men', the much feted Coen brothers attempt to do for taciturn Texans what they did for folksy Minnesotans in 'Fargo'. Cue deadpan farce, with a sense of humour as dry as the hot desert climate. The film has a certain style, charm and menace, and the Coen's certainly deserve credit for sticking with a story that emphatically rejects any sort of populist ending. But at the end of the day, it's a film about a psychopathic killer; and for all its undoubted class, I've seen enough of those before. While it's true that this particular killer is not so much human as a form of devil come to pass judgement on who should live and who should die, this idea is also less original that it sounds (most films about psychopaths attempt to play this idea, albeit few as successfully as this one). I have to confess that I've never quite understood why most of the Coen's films are so well regarded; they're certainly clever, and refreshingly non-mainstream; but I don't find them that hilarious and they're shallower than they affect. I liked watching this movie; but I didn't see greatness.