Year of Release: 2007Country of Origin: USA
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald
Plot outline: Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande (IMDb).
People have different ideas about what the movie is all about. For me it is a metaphorical description of the nature of evil. The story centres on the villain, bad character named Anton Chigurh (played convincingly by Javier Bardem) who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. His last murder of the innocent character named Carla Jean Moss (played impressively by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald who nails a faultless Texan accent) proves the utmost insanity of his evil spirit. On the opposite side of the equation, we have the anti-villain, good character named Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (played believably against type by Tommy Lee Jones who's up to now often typecasted into US Marshal Sam Gerard's roles) who knows all too well about this psychopathic killer and how overmatch this "all-out war" is for an aging sheriff like him. While in the middle, playing with the devil, we have our hero Llewelyn Moss (played very well by Josh Brolin who's up to now underrated) who thinks he can outwit the devil. The end of the movie that defiantly refuses to cater to the audience's desire for justice stresses the unpredictability of the outcome of "a coin toss" - will it be heads or tails? Call it, you've been calling it your entire life. Good directing, clear and sharp writing and top-notch performance by the cast make this movie the best choice of this year's Oscar for Best Picture.
My judgement: *** out of 4 stars
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