Second half is a let down

Rating: 6/10 (18 February 2008)

The film starts like a thriller. We meet Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who seems to be killing for fun. Then we meet Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who finds a bag full of dollars. And then, Anton is chasing Moss. The film moves like a thriller. But unfortunately, it does not end like one.
There is no history or reason to Bardem's character. He is pure evil. He is invincible. On the contrary, Brolin's character is real and vulnerable. This difference in their characters lends a demon-vs-human kind of feel to the story. But the second half of the film disappoints. Chigurh's chase and Moss' accidental fortune both end in nothing. Then there is Tommy Lee Jones character which I found added nothing to the storyline, other than dollops of philosophical musings.
Javier Bardem packs in a powerhouse performance. The cinematography is fantastic. Coen brothers do create an interesting character in Chigurh. But all that are achievements in isolation. I failed to understand what the story was about. It would have been an interesting thriller with a more simpler and straight forward climax.