Gritty, menacing movie about average people trying to deal with desperate people

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2009)

This is not a feel good movie. It is NOT for young children. It is rated R for good reason. It tries to accurately portray a situation where an average Joe on a hunting trip in the sparse country of south west Texas comes across a drug trade gone bad. He finds a bunch of vehicles far out in the wilderness. When he investigates, he finds lots of dead people and a truckload of drugs. But no money. He does a little tracking and finds a suitcase with $2million. In 1980 that would be about $4.5 million in 2008 dollars. He hopes to disappear but underestimates the people who seriously want the money back. Our average Joe, Llewelyn Moss, who you will find yourself rooting for, is courageous but makes a few mistakes. He is being pursued by a cold, menacing killer who has no remorse in ending peoples lives. The killer is smart, resourceful, and relentless. He has a large bank account to sustain him and connections that help him pursue our average Joe who has $2million. Every time the villain, played by Javier, was on screen I felt as though I was looking at the devil himself. That guy was indeed scary in this role.
My spoiler is minimal because to reveal too much would ruin the story. I will say it does not have a happy ending so be prepared.
It is about rugged people, harsh countryside where survival does not come easy. It is also about life choices and people facing hardship. It digs into how cruel some people can be when pushed into the wrong circumstances. And how sometimes the decisions we make determine our fate.
Some have labeled this movie as boring or too slow moving. I suppose it might seem that way to those who are accustomed to lots of explosions and cars flying through the air.
It won several awards so it cannot be as bad as some depict it. My guess is that most people under age 25 will not like this movie, it doesn't satisfy the rapid pace of movies and video games they have come to expect.
When it ended I caught myself thinking, "That's it? That's the end?"
But then it hit home what the movie was really about. Keep an open mind to the events and I suspect it will have the same effect on you.
Examine the plot, multiply the mayhem times 10 and you might be watching a movie about the same area in 2008.