Sometimes it’s fun to root for the villain. I think in some movies the bad guy is often cooler than the hero. The same cannot be said about Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. In that movie the Coen’s managed to create one of the most despicable, disconnected characters I’ve ever seen.
The leading reason for this is that Chigurh is a psychopath. Of this I am convinced, and to be honest that is probably the friendliest diagnosis anybody should give him. The character’s lack of emotion makes it impossible to connect in any way with him. What makes the movie frustrating for me is that Chigurh never pays for his crimes. He never gets caught, he doesn’t die, and the two times where he sustained injuries he didn’t really show any pain. But after killing innocent people (some for no reason at all) and generally over-doing his part in making the world a worse place, shouldn’t something bad happen do him?
Perhaps this is a lesson that the world is not fair. I personally (and optimistically) reject this viewpoint that the Coen’s are trying to teach us because nothing is that bad.
The leading reason for this is that Chigurh is a psychopath. Of this I am convinced, and to be honest that is probably the friendliest diagnosis anybody should give him. The character’s lack of emotion makes it impossible to connect in any way with him. What makes the movie frustrating for me is that Chigurh never pays for his crimes. He never gets caught, he doesn’t die, and the two times where he sustained injuries he didn’t really show any pain. But after killing innocent people (some for no reason at all) and generally over-doing his part in making the world a worse place, shouldn’t something bad happen do him?
Perhaps this is a lesson that the world is not fair. I personally (and optimistically) reject this viewpoint that the Coen’s are trying to teach us because nothing is that bad.
4 comments:
Thank you for talking about the villain! I am all about the villain all the time. And although Chigurh was completely despicable and pretty much pure evil (blah blah blah) you do have to give him some serious props for being as bad as he was. It takes effort to be that evil. Energy. Practice. Nobody appreciates the villain.
I think you're right except for the bit about pain. He does limp a little and winces when he pulls the bullets out of his leg. So there's at least some element of humanity in him. He loses any respect from that when he gets confused when the woman won't call it though. That's when I was convinced he had some kind of social disorder. He just doesn't seem to understand why it should be his decision...
I agree that you can connect to Chigurh very well. But I still think that he has more depth to him than you think. Because at the end he decides to give Carla Jean a coin flip and he doesn't just kill her right away.
I like Chigurh for all the reasons you don't. All of the acting in that film is understated which makes it feel real. They even kept Tommy Lee under control.
I like Chigurh because he is the perfect psychopath and he does get away.
I didn't like the 'Sopranoesque' ending though.
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