a few observations

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2008)

SPOILER ALERT
Sometimes a film based on a great novel stands on its own. In this case, if the moviegoer hasn't read "No Country...," I can see how he or she could be a bit mystified at the events of the film and their sequencing. (The novel itself required me to turn the pages back several times to get reoriented). As well, there are some symbolisms that become more apparent if the viewer has read beforehand. For example, one would know that Moss was a sniper in Vietnam which makes his wince at his failure to cleanly kill the antelope a little more meaningful. He's about 30 now, perhaps beginning to think he's losin' it, over-the-hill, etc. with that crummy shot. That he risks big time in stealing from organized criminals would be just a little more understandable with such weighing in his mind.
One scene I would love to see done differently: The final shootout where Moss meets his demise. The novel was clear that Lleylin pretty much sacrificed himself in an attempt to save the young woman's life, a final display of the values he doesn't let go of. Wish this could'be been worked in.
Possible "goof": When Lleylin first spots the massacre in the desert, the scene appears at least a quarter-mile from the top of the bluff he is on. Later, when he returns with the water, the same bluff only seems a couple of hundred yards away.