Not a masterpiece, but one of the better films of 2007.
This film is filled with the same hard edged cynicism that distinguished Kubrick and Peckinpah as masters of postmodern cinematic angst. Despite the sophomoric philosophizing on determinism, fate and chance (a psychopath who kills people based on a coin flip is really not that deep maaan) the movie gives us a lot to digest. The beautiful cinematography is consciously devoid of stylization, and the barren, sweeping landscapes evoke the bleached morality of the film's world and help to visually strip human nature down to its elemental layers, which is where the movie wants to take us.
The acting is good but not remarkable, except for Javier Bardem who steals the show with his unstoppable evil guy routine. Tommy Lee Jones stinks it up a bit and I agree that his character was not as fleshed out or interesting as it should have been. Josh Brolin is just right as the understated sort-of-anti-hero. For those of you lamenting the dialogue, much of it was lifted straight from the novel. Novel dialogue and movie dialogue are very different creatures, novel dialogue being primarily intended to be read in your head. That is why the opening and closing monologues by Tommy Lee Jones, aside from any delivery problems, were a little bit hard to follow. I loved the way they abruptly cut to black when Jones finishes talking about his dream. It worked really, really well though I think it sucked the air out of some of the stupider people in the audience.
Can't harp on the dialogue too much anyway, with gems like this:
Anton Chigurh: Call it.
Attendant: Call it?
Anton Chigurh: Yes.
Attendant: For what?
Anton Chigurh: Just call it.
Attendant: Well, we need to know what we're calling it for here.
Anton Chigurh: You need to call it. I can't call it for you. It wouldn't be fair.
Attendant: I didn't put nothin' up.
Anton Chigurh: Yes, you did. You've been putting it up your whole life you just didn't know it. You know what date is on this coin?
Attendant: No.
Anton Chigurh: 1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.
Attendant: Look, I need to know what I stand to win.
Anton Chigurh: Everything.
Attendant: How's that?
Anton Chigurh: You stand to win everything. Call it.
Attendant: Alright. Heads then.
[Chigurh removes his hand, revealing the coin is heads]
Anton Chigurh: Well done.
[the gas station attendant nervously takes the quarter]
Anton Chigurh: Don't put it in your pocket, sir. Don't put it in your pocket. It's your lucky quarter.
Attendant: Where do you want me to put it?
Anton Chigurh: Anywhere not in your pocket. Where it'll get mixed in with the others and become just a coin. Which it is.
I'm so glad there are people like the Coens making films in today's Hollywood.