Rating of
4/4
"And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day."
Arbogast1960 - wrote on 03/28/08
Easily the Coens' best film (even better than the heralded No Country for Old Men, which I loved). Few films are able to combine wit and gravity so smoothly. McDormand is excellent as the pregnant police chief, as is Macy as the desperate man whose scheme goes awry. No one could play the volatile kidnapper like Buscemi. There's also something about the film, at least stylistically, that reminds me of Kubrick's The Shining: the lateral tracking shots with the gliding camera; the snowbound hellscape, so pristine, juxtaposed with the bloodshed; the vaguely antiseptic, almost clinical feel. Of course, this is a Coen picture, as the black, offbeat humor continuously reminds. And the ending is pitch perfect--not sappy, not corny, just somber and contemplative.
