The Sunset Limited

Directed by: Tommy Lee Jones

Written by: Cormac McCarthy

There are very few writers who, by mere drop of their name, can make me sit up and pay attention. Cormac McCarthy is one of those writers. He adapted his own "novel in dramatic form" into a screenplay, which was then produced as an HBO special.

The plot is very simple: two men - known only as Black and White (Jackson and Jones, respectively) - sit in a room and debate the meaning of life. Prior to the opening scene, White tried to kill himself by jumping in front of a train but Black intervened and saved his life. Throughout their discussions, White (who reveals himself as a professor) points to the bleak sadness of life and the brutality of humanity. Black ( regularly counterpoints by pointing to humanity's redeeming qualities and the importance of faith. The power dynamic shifts back and forth repeatedly until, almost arbitrarily, it ends. The two part ways, neither side convinced by the other's arguments.

Going into it, one should know that McCarthy's writings are always incredibly dark and heavy, and "The Sunset Limited" is no exception. White beats the audience over the head with his depression and pessimism, and it can be emotionally draining to hear it, even in a performance. (And, to give credit, Tommy Lee Jones is pretty convincing in his role.)

I always enjoy movies with relatively ambiguous endings. (That isn't to say a film doesn't need resolution, but that it should always leave a few things for the audience to think about.) "The Sunset Limited" ends in a way that leaves things up for discussion. When White finally leaves, it is clear that Black's faith has been shaken but unbroken. Even though we never see him again, it's easy to conjecture (possibly incorrectly) that a similar change has happened to White. But what does it all mean? Who was right? Did either side "win"? Or is it even about winning at all?

Both Jones and Jackson give well-executed performances, although the nature of the story - taking place in a single sparse room on a single night - leaves little room for them in terms of action. Instead, they use their voices and the words they carry as their instruments. It was not a lot to work with, but they made it work.

Typically, McCarthy's works are filled with physical violence. "The Sunset Limited" is filled with emotional and philosophical violence. The two characters bludgeon each other with their points of view, hitting each other with point and counterpoint, ad nauseum.

"The Sunset Limited" is excellent, but I would not categorize it as a must-see film. Be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster if you do decide to watch it, but one that is well worth the experience.