Perhaps it’s the hype, the endless best-of-year lists, and the inevitable Oscar noms, but this just wasn’t the movie I was hoping for. And this is from a committed Coen-loather, someone who hasn’t liked a film of theirs since Fargo, or loved once since Fink. This feels, to me, like their ‘take us seriously’ movie, a film made by a pair of very intelligent, observant people who know what depth is, but don’t actually have any of their own. The thriller aspects are terrific, Javier Bardem is genuinely frightening, and there a little hints of something beneath the surface, as in Tommy Lee Jones’ wonderful opening voiceover, and the glorious images which accompany it. But overall it just feels, like all the Coens’ recent works, just a little bit empty and soulless.
by Tom Huddleston | Source: 35mm print
17 Jan 2008 11:32 AM | Submit Comment
