(2007) In 1980 an evil spore settled in the desert near a small Texas town; taking root (needing the blood of victims) it produced (drugs are money is a drug) an irresistible fruit to further its reach. A horror film transmogrified into a tense, suspenseful thriller at the root of all evil, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, this is no movie for the faint of heart.

A hellbound ghoul taking the form of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a zombie-like psychopathic killer, could be your worst nightmare: if he wants you, he will find you. First he strangles with his cuffed hands a police officer, then with a high-powered air gun (for slaughtering cattle) an unsuspecting motorist. On one occasion he flips a coin, allowing the owner of a gas/convenience stop a pass.

Meanwhile, while hunting antelope Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes upon the scene of a drug deal gone bad, with several pick-up trucks and dead Mexican bodies plus one more corpse lying beside a satchel full of $100 bills. Returning at night to the scene (this always happens in a fright flick), bringing back water for the only survivor (who's no longer alive), Llewelyn watches another truck pull up beside his before coming after him. Chased to the river, he jumps in with a pit bull swimming after him.

Later two other men and Anton appear, surveying the scene before Anton kills them. He wants the money and has a tracking device to follow the transponder hidden inside the satchel containing $2 million. Llewelyn is determined to keep the money at all costs.

Back in town a savvy old sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), about to retire, and his young deputy Wendell seem flummoxed with the sudden carnage. Elsewhere a special agent, Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson), is assigned to find Anton and the money. A harrowing cat-and-mouse game takes place (prey becomes quarry & prey again) between Llewelyn and Anton from a motel to a hotel to a hospital in Mexico, leaving behind a gory trail.

Meeting with Carla Jean (Kelly MacDonald), Llewelyn's young wife, who has taken a bus to Odessa, Sheriff Bell asks her to contact him if she hears from Llewelyn. In Mexico, Carson locates Llewelyn in a hospital: "How do you know he's not on his way to Odessa … to kill your wife?"

During the course of this gruesome drama (exposed wounds, expanding pools of blood), at least a score of brutal, remorseless murders occur. Near the conclusion, Carla Jean says to Anton, "You don't need to do this." The killer laughs, telling her that's what people always say, before flipping his coin.

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Copyright © 2007 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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