By anybody's reckoning, a supreme achievement

Rating: 9/10 (14 April 2008)

My problem with the much-discussed ending is not that the bad guy gets away. My problem is that the ending doesn't quite work emotionally. The film slams to a momentum-jarring stop that isn't entirely satisfying (at least on the first viewing). It makes sense, of course, and it is the same ending as in the novel, but that doesn't make an iota of difference to me because a book's one thing and a film's another. Two very different breeds. All that aside, this is still a superb, rich, beautifully written movie that is heads and shoulders above most. Javier Bardem, as the film's angel of death, is a revelation, and he commands your attention whenever he steps into frame. The plot has to do with a bag of money that ends up in hands not intended for it. Bardem's mission is to collect the money and eliminate anybody who associated with those said hands. Tommy Lee Jones is a weary cop who gradually learns that he does, indeed, live in a country where there is no place for an old man who hopes to see his retirement. On so many levels this film is exceptional. From its evocative cinematography to its rich and organic sound design, it has the stamp of quality and the whiff of aesthetic perfection. The violence is explosive and realistic, searing us like boiling hot water poured on a gaping wound. There is some supreme suspense, too, an example being the sequence in which Josh Brolin's vehicle is located and identified as he crouches in the dark desert. Deserving of all the praise heaped on it and a considerable achievement by anybody's reckoning.