Jeez, been a long time! Loving the new site too! Got to say though, as someone who voted this flick as his number one of 2007, I’ve got to disagree with you here. Then again, opinions are like arse-holes. Everyone has got one and invariably they all stink a little at some point. I thought this was flawless filmmaking!

Keep up the EXCELLENT work!

// Spoilers from here on out.

At the start of the film Tommy Lee Jones’s character makes mention of all the ugliness in the world, the degree to which it seems to have increased, and how it has led him to believe he’s now too old for the job.

The film is filled with moments of shocking violence, and by the end every “good person” is dead — even Kelly MacDonald. Only the killer and Jones himself is left alive.

But then there’s the exchange with his brother, and he makes mention of a terrible incident that occurred before Jones was even born..how the world’s always been cruel, and there’s no changing it.

The end, especially with the dream sequence explanation is simply stating that ugliness will continue, until peace is ultimately found in death. That’s really all there is to it.

What I see as problematic though, is the complete drop in tension that occurs in the final act. While interesting on a philosophical level, it really stood at odds with all the modern-western mayhem that filled the first half of the movie, making the film drag unnecessarily.

But, yah , like you, I don’t think this was one of the best films of the year at all. Heck, it’s not even one of the Coen Bros’ best films. A good film on all accounts, but I think even O Brother Where Art Thou was far superior. Maybe it’s just a case of the academy making up for previous oversight.