The Coen's Trek Through Antonioni Territory

Rating: 8/10 (2 November 2011)

This is an unusual film to win the best picture Oscar . On the surface it's merely a violent thriller where someone has the dubious luck of finding a stash of hot money only to find the money has brought them problems far beyond their worst nightmare
What makes the film different from an average thriller is the borrowings from the Italian autuer Michealangelo Antonioni . The Coen's have made an unrepently art house thriller . This may have alienated a lot of its potential audience but it sticks in the memory of those who have seen it
It's an enigmatic film and the enigma carries through to the character subplots . Characters die ( Or possibly not die ) off screen which mirrors the work of Antonioni in THE PASSENGER There's also little sense of time . If it wasn't for references to Vietnam you'd believe it was a contemporary setting . The shot length is rather long for a modern American film and this is in no way a criticism . It is probably the Coen's best film and one that is unlikely they'll top