But there’s no doubt No Country for Old Men, which opened 10 years ago this week, is one of their most important works.
Even a decade later, Chigurh remains as terrifying a cinematic persona as ever – maybe even more so.
Bardem first reached mainstream recognition for his Oscar-nominated performance as Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls.
Chigurh, though, is the role that actually got him his Oscar, and it fits.
“Coldness” is one of the dominating features of the character, a total disconnect from the usual terms of human interaction.
Chigurh was crowned as an iconic Hollywood villain almost immediately, making it halfway up EW’s own list of 50 Most Vile Movie Villains mere months after the movie hit theaters.
As Bell ruminates throughout the film, agreeing to “be part of this world” means occasionally brushing up against people like Chigurh. »