Great movie, grim but worthwhile

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2007)

This is a great movie. Josh Brolin's character is great -- a man of few words, a man of action, he's not fearless, but he's used to taking care of things himself. His self sufficiency and courage get him into trouble, sure, but he's basically a likable character, and one whose conscience can get him out of bed at night. The fact that he's a Vietnam vet turns out to be helpful, and he definitely has his MacGuiver moments.
Javier Bardem's character creates a lot of suspense in this movie. He is an unstoppable, malevolent force. His power is almost otherworldly -- you'd almost rather be trapped on a ship with Alien than be allowed to wander Texas with him on your tail.
Tommy Lee Jones is also very good, and does a superior job occupying the middle ground between fear and fearlessness, confidence and self-doubt, hope and despair.
This movie is a bit grim, and those of you that don't like to see bad things happen to good people might be a bit put off. The movie is violent, and keeps you on the edge of your seat from about 10 minutes in until the end of the movie. But if you like action / suspense, you'll likely consider this one of the best movies of the year. One of the good things about this movie is that it does not glorify the violence it contains and does not ask you to step back from or assent to the bad things that are going on. It is also is a nice reminder that all your fantasies about being able to handle yourself if you find yourself suddenly thrust into the underworld are childish -- the underworld is definitely a place you do not want to go.