It’s hard to believe that this movie won Best Picture. While I enjoyed it, and it was a fascinating exploration of humanity set against the desires that drive us, and I must admit it was a break out performance for almost everyone involved, there were a lot of things about it that just didn’t make sense. The plot itself, had a difficult story arc to really follow, and it seemed incredibly unreal, and painfully slow.
It basically follows a cowboy who happens upon a drug deal gone bad. He takes the money, but inexplicably goes back hours late to aid those who had not yet died. He of course is cornered by those who had been paid to clean up the mess, and is pursued across Texas by a complete psycho who is a sociopathic killer.
This killer is himself pursued by sherrifs including a crazed marshall (Woody Harrelson, White Men Can’t Jump). This is actually a pretty epic middle section which features a cat and mouse game between the hunter and the hunted and the hunter-hunters. It’s a pretty fascinating examination of the human psyche, and how even in as late as the 1970’s, the elements of the old west had not gotten better, in old age, men did not see utopia come to fruition, but rather the world darken and flicker as the bad guys got worse.
Life is harsh, and crazy. So is this movie, but I haven’t really wanted to say it’s 2, but it really is…just not Best picture. Roger Ebert famously said that some years there are no best pictures and some years there are ten best pictures. This was one of those years.
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