"No Country for Old Men" question

[Doyle]

Antoine Chugar is driving across a bridge and takes a shot at a crow that is perched on the side railing. He misses at near point blank range and the bird flies off. I found this to be an odd scene. For someone who is an incredibly proficient killer, he misses an easy shot at the bird. Is this scene unnecessary and meaningless or does it mean something I don't get?

[AuntiePam]

If I remember right, doesn't he sorta smile after taking the shot? I think he has an appreciation/respect for the ones that get away from him.

It's one of my favorite movies but I haven't watched it for awhile.

Also, he might be a proficient killer, but we didn't see anything showing that he was a crack shot. How many bullets did he throw at Llewellyn in the street outside that hotel?

[Slate]

Anton Chigurh

It reminded me of Raising Arizona and Leonard Smalls shooting a lizard while driving his motorcycle, except he didn't miss. Maybe the Coens have a thing for birds. H.I. and Smalls had matching Woody Woodpecker tattoos. What did that mean?

I have no idea why Chigurh shot at and missed the raven. Perhaps the raven symbolizes destiny and not even Chigurh can escape his, blah blah blah. Was that scene before or after Moss missed the deer? Maybe we're getting into totem spirits.

[Doyle]

Originally Posted by Slate

Anton Chigurh

It reminded me of Raising Arizona and Leonard Smalls shooting a lizard while driving his motorcycle, except he didn't miss. Maybe the Coens have a thing for birds. H.I. and Smalls had matching Woody Woodpecker tattoos. What did that mean?

I have no idea why Chigurh shot at and missed the raven. Perhaps the raven symbolizes destiny and not even Chigurh can escape his, blah blah blah. Was that scene before or after Moss missed the deer? Maybe we're getting into totem spirits.

The scene takes place as Chigurh is arriving in Del Rio.

[stormie]

I only know the poem

[Bill Door]

I always thought one of the the themes of the movie was the arbitrary nature of life and death. Just like one of his coin tosses, sometimes Anton's targets escape for no reason at all.

[Slate]

This thread inspired to me to read the book. I meant to report back but I forgot all about it. Wow, was that movie ever faithful to the text. Scene for scene. Dialogue too. Here is the part in question:

The headlights picked up some kind of large bird sitting on the aluminum bridgerail up ahead and Chigurh pushed the button to let the window down. Cool air coming in off the lake. He took the pistol from beside the box and cocked and leveled it out the window, resting the barrel on the rearview mirror. The pistol had been fitted with a silencer sweated onto the end of the barrel. The silencer was made out of brass mapp-gas burners fitted into a hairspray can and the whole thing stuffed with fiberglass roofing insulation and painted flat black. He fired just as the bird crouched and spread its wings.

It flared wildly in the lights, very white, turning and lifting away into the darkness. The shot had hit the rail and caromed off into the night and the rail hummed dully in the slipstream and ceased. Chigurh laid the pistol on the seat and put the window back up again.

Forget the bird, I've never heard a sideview mirror referred to as a rearview mirror. Perhaps it's a regional thing? Confusingly, when I first read it, I was trying to picture Chigurh balancing the barrel on the mirror mounted on the center of the windshield. That would be awkward.

[Zeener Diode]

I call them rear view mirrors, and never heard anyone call them side-view mirrors. Unless I was ordering a replacement.

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

How many bullets did he throw at Llewellyn in the street outside that hotel?

He nailed the driver of the truck with a clear shot to the throat before Llewellyn sped away. He could've shot Llewellyn instead. Maybe it was to send a message?

[Slate]

Are you from the southwest?

[Salacious Crumb]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

I call them rear view mirrors, and never heard anyone call them side-view mirrors. Unless I was ordering a replacement.

He nailed the driver of the truck with a clear shot to the throat before Llewellyn sped away. He could've shot Llewellyn instead. Maybe it was to send a message?

Sure you never heard anyone call them side view mirrors.


He had no idea who was driving the truck, he was going to kill everyone in the truck regardless.