Much more going on here than meets the eye

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2008)

This film was primarily about the bros tweaking film conventions. For instance the scene where the villain cleans his wound (echoed in the end when he buys the boy's shirt, which in turn echoes Brolin buying the border guy's shirt). how many times have i watched a movie where a character is badly hurt, but then seemingly fixed in the next scene when some unstated amount of time has passed? instead of skipping that detail the bros. focus in on it uncomfortably close.
so this film is a meditation on the mundane nature of violence in the west (and the western genre). the characters fade in and out in an almost haphazard manner, the plot meanders in no particular direction, over the border, back again, characters entering as if important only to be cut short quickly (notably Harrelson) by death, the money becomes meaningless by the end and all that matters is killing and more killing. the bros decide as randomly as the flip of a coin whether to show a murder in close up, lingering on the bloody gurgling throat of a meaningless character in an office, or having major characters die off screen.
there really are no major characters in this film, just people waiting to die, and death himself. the film is a series of red herrings, and Brolin's death 3/4's in also evokes psycho. the scene with the two lawmen talking later that night even recalls the doctor explanation scene at the end of psycho, as does an earlier scene where the two cops discuss a murderous couple in California.
the bros. viciously play with audience expectations and desire. when Brolin threatens from the hospital that he's decided to make the villain a special project of his i felt satisfaction the same way i would watching the Bourne identity or superman, the hope of watching good triumph over evil in some way. but the fruition of this sort of resolution is stymied again and again. Brolin is killed before he ever comes face to face with the villain, and even the car accident which seems like it may bring some cosmic justice fails to do so, the villain just walks away. finally the honorable sheriff cannot do the deed, instead he retires.
no wonder many people on here seemed to hate this film, it's challenging and very mean to the audience. Fargo was much kinder with it's local charm. this is a finer film however, and will likely go down has one of the greatest American films ever.