I am sorry, there is no way you an look at this guy and not be completely and utterly intimidated. Today, I want to talk about Anton Chigurh, and why he is one of my favorite villains. I am a huge fan of the Coen Brothers, and naturally No Country for Old Men, which was an adaptation of a book by Cormac McCarthy I have yet to read, but I am definitely planning on getting to it.

Anton Chigurh, played wonderfully by Javier Bardem, is ultimately the driving force of the film, at least in my opinion. Anton’s code, to see his job done, no matter who gets in the way, moves the action across the state of Texas and across the Mexican border creating one of the most entertaining cat-and-mouse chases I have ever seen in film.

One thing that Anton has going for him is his sheer presence. Throughout the movie he is direct, ruthless, and intimidating. This is the kind of stuff that makes for a great villain. It also doesn’t hurt that the guy has a really cool way of killing people either.

Throughout the film he uses a few different ways to dispatch folks, but arguably the coolest method is his use of a gas-powered bolt gun. At first glance it just appears to be a tank with a hose and some instrument at the end, but if he manages to bring it to your head, you’re pretty much screwed. He also uses a rather cool silenced rifle as well, and it definitely looks much more intimidating than the bolt gun, but ultimately, the bolt gun wins him some originality points.

One of the more interesting things to note is that he kind of fits the movie-monster trope. He’s a mostly unstoppable force. What makes him particularly effective compared to typical villains is that this guy takes a real beating. He survives car-accidents and gunshots and manages to press on. When you see him tend to his wounds, you have to ask yourself “what the hell is keeping that guy going?”. Sheer badassery, that’s what.

Hell, ever since I saw the movie, I’ve been intimidated by coin tosses. Don’t ask, just watch the movie and see why.