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What? He does investigate throughout the book. He just fails to do any good.


* UselessProtagonist: Sheriff Bell, who is too apathetic to even properly pursue Chigurh, unlike the hotshot deputies and the out-of-state investigators trying to piece together what's going on. One of his major scenes is his deputy trying to encourage him to go with the investigators at the crime scenes -- he doesn't care, saying it'll do no good. [[spoiler:He doesn't bother with investigating further after he fails to stop Chigurh or the hitmen from killing Llewelyn.]]
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* UncertainDoom: After Chigurh kills [[spoiler:the man who hired Wells]], the accountant with whom said man was speaking asks Chigurh what he'll do to him:

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* UncertainDoom: After Chigurh kills [[spoiler:the man who hired Wells]], the accountant with whom said man was speaking asks Chigurh what he'll do to him:
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* DumbassHasAPoint: When the none-too-bright Deputy Torbert draws his gun upon seeing evidence of a break-in, Bell states confidently that he won't need it because everyone is obviously gone. Torbert asserts that it's better safe than sorry. When Tolbert eventually moves to holster his gun in deference, however, Bell reconsiders and has him keep his gun out after all.

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* DumbassHasAPoint: When the none-too-bright Deputy Torbert draws his gun upon seeing evidence of a break-in, Bell states confidently that he won't need it because everyone is obviously gone. Torbert asserts After asserting that it's better safe than sorry. When sorry, Tolbert eventually defers to Bell and moves to holster his gun in deference, however, gun, but Bell reconsiders and has him keep his gun out after all.

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* FaceDeathWithDignity:
-->'''Carla Jean:''' The coin ain't got no say. It's just ''you''.
** Also discussed when Chigurh is about to kill [[spoiler:Carson]].

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* FaceDeathWithDignity:
-->'''Carla Jean:''' The coin ain't got no say. It's just ''you''.
** Also discussed
FaceDeathWithDignity: Discussed when Chigurh is about to kill [[spoiler:Carson]].



* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: A major theme of the story, embodied by Sheriff Bell. However, the inverse is also depicted, as seen in Chigurh's frustration with [[spoiler:Carla Jean refusing to play his coin flip game and pointing out his own agency.]]

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* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: A major theme of the story, embodied by Sheriff Bell. However, the inverse is also depicted, as seen in Chigurh's frustration with [[spoiler:Carla Jean refusing to play his coin flip game and pointing out his own agency.]]



* HeadsOrTails: Anton Chigurh flips a coin to decide whether to kill a potential victim. Those that choose not to take the chance are killed anyway, because they refuse to submit to the PowersThatBe.

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* HeadsOrTails: Anton Chigurh flips a coin to decide whether to kill a potential victim. Those that choose not to take the chance are killed anyway, because they refuse to submit to the PowersThatBe.



* ImprobableWeaponUser: Chigurh. He uses a pneumatic cattle bolt gun as a a lock-breaker and once as an improvised weapon, and his primary firearm is a silenced Remington 11-87 shotgun with a pistol grip.

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* ImprobableWeaponUser: Chigurh. He uses a pneumatic cattle bolt gun as a a lock-breaker and once as an improvised weapon, and his primary firearm is a silenced Remington 11-87 shotgun with a pistol grip.



* MissedHimByThatMuch: Chigurh tracks Llewelyn via transponder to a motel room. While Chigurh is [[spoiler:violently eliminating the Mexicans occupying the room, Llewelyn is dragging the 50 lb. satchel through a ventilation duct in the opposite room. The gunfire and screaming mask the scraping sounds created by the bag.]] By the time Anton checks the vent, Llewelyn has left the motel and hitched a ride out of town.
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Pretty sure Bell retires, and Chirgurh gives the money away before vanishing.


* NoEnding: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. As noted above, [[spoiler:with the exceptions of Chigurh and Sheriff Bell, every major character dies]]. A quick shot reveals that [[spoiler:Chigurh had found the money in the ventilation system again, and left with the money]], but it goes by fast and is irrelevant to the story by this point. Further, [[spoiler:Chigurh is grievously wounded -- in the novel, it's taken further, where the sheriffs will continue tracking him.]]

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* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Moss mistakenly believes that this is how the world works.



* HatesSmallTalk: The unfettered, purpose-driven Chigurh does not respond well to idle chit-chat (see EvilIsPetty).

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* HatesSmallTalk: The unfettered, purpose-driven Chigurh does not respond well to idle chit-chat (see EvilIsPetty).chit-chat.



* VomitIndiscretionShot: Llewelyn, after inspecting his wounds past the Mexican border.



* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Chigurh does this to everybody to the point it's impossible to deal with him.
-->'''Carson Wells:''' You can't make a deal with him. Even if you gave him the money, he'd still kill you just for troubling him. He's a peculiar man.

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* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Chigurh does this to everybody to executes a number of people he's working with, apparently because he no longer needs them. You might think that he's doing it so that he can keep the point it's impossible to deal with him.
-->'''Carson Wells:''' You can't make a deal with him. Even if you gave him the money, he'd still kill you
for himself, but no, he's just for troubling him. He's a peculiar man.killing people.
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She does choose in the book, after some protests.


** The accountant seems remarkably unfazed considering Chigurh has just killed the only other man in the room with him; he just calmly asks if he's going to die next. [[spoiler:But, it's entirely possible he survives, as we never do see the results of the conversation.]]

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** The accountant seems remarkably unfazed considering Chigurh has just killed the only other man in the room with him; he just calmly asks if he's going to die next. [[spoiler:But, it's entirely possible he survives, as we never do see the results of the conversation.]]



* HeadsOrTails: Anton Chigurh flips a coin to decide whether to kill a potential victim. Those that choose not to take the chance are killed anyway, because they refuse to submit to the PowersThatBe. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Fans actually debate over the reason why he does it.]] [[spoiler:[[FaceDeathWithDignity Carla Jean refuses to play]], [[ShutUpHannibal refusing to blame the coin or fate for what she believes is her inevitable death -- simply Chigurh]].]]

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* HeadsOrTails: Anton Chigurh flips a coin to decide whether to kill a potential victim. Those that choose not to take the chance are killed anyway, because they refuse to submit to the PowersThatBe. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Fans actually debate over the reason why he does it.]] [[spoiler:[[FaceDeathWithDignity Carla Jean refuses to play]], [[ShutUpHannibal refusing to blame the coin or fate for what she believes is her inevitable death -- simply Chigurh]].]]

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* AgeGapRomance: Moss is 36 and his wife is 19. They met when she was 16.
* ArbitraryGunPower: In RealLife, a cattle-gun would barely be able to ''dent'' a door-lock, much less blow it completely out of the door.



* AloneWithThePsycho: Most characters in the story find themselves alone and helpless with Anton Chigurh. [[spoiler:No one ever shows up to rescue them.]]

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* AgeGapRomance:
** Moss is 36, and his wife is 19. They met when she was 16.
** Bell notes that his wife is younger than him, though we don't know exactly by how much. The difference is enough that he expected that she would learn from him, and he says she did in some regard, but he's learned much more from her.
* AloneWithThePsycho: Most characters in the story find themselves alone and helpless with Anton Chigurh. [[spoiler:No one ever shows up to rescue them.]]



* ArbitraryGunPower: In RealLife, a cattle-gun would barely be able to ''dent'' a door-lock, much less blow it completely out of the door.



* DeliberateValuesDissonance: It's 1980. No one ever seems to find it notable that Moss met his wife when she was 16 and less than half his age. When the 15-year-old runaway offers herself to him, and he refuses repeatedly, she asks if he's gay.



* HollywoodOld: Uncle Ellis is supposed to be much older than Ed Tom Bell. Ellis' actor, Barry Corbin, is only about six years older than Ed's actor, Tommy Lee Jones.
* HollywoodSilencer: With its enormous silencer, Chigurh's Remington 11-87 shotgun has a report no louder than that of a BB gun.

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* HollywoodOld: Uncle Ellis is supposed to be much older than Ed Tom Bell. Ellis' actor, Barry Corbin, is only about six years older than Ed's actor, Tommy Lee Jones.
* HollywoodSilencer: With its enormous silencer, Chigurh's Remington 11-87 shotgun has a report no louder than that silencer the size of a BB gun.soda can. The narration notes the deep chugging sound the silenced shotgun makes.



* ImprobableAge: Discussed by Bell. He notes that he was himself elected sheriff of a county as big as Delaware at the age of 25, having already become a war hero. He recalls that a previous sheriff became a deputy by the age of 18. He also knows someone who became a pastor and a pillar of his community at the age of 21.

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* ImprobableAge: Discussed by Bell. He notes that he was himself elected sheriff of a county as big as Delaware at the age of 25, having already become a war hero. He recalls that a previous sheriff became a deputy by the age of 18. He also knows someone who became was a pastor and a pillar of his community at by the age of 21.



* NothingIsScarier:
** The build-up before [[spoiler:the hotel shootout between Llewelyn and Chigurh.]]
** Anton can even make a ''coin flip'' absolutely terrifying.



* PlayAlongPrisoner: In his first scene, Anton Chigurh has allowed a deputy to arrest him. He [[spoiler:slips his cuffs from back to front, kills the deputy, and steals a police car.]] All just to prove a point about supreme will.

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* PlayAlongPrisoner: In his first scene, Anton Chigurh has allowed a deputy to arrest him. He [[spoiler:slips slips his cuffs from back to front, kills the deputy, and steals a police car.]] car. All just to prove a point about supreme will.



* PsychoForHire: Chigurh turns out to be only interesting in hiring himself out to others rather than taking the money for himself. This seems to play into his bizarre worldview.



* ShootOutTheLock: Chigurh uses the cattle gun to do this when he's not using it for... [[{{Squick}} other things]].

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* ShootOutTheLock: Chigurh uses the cattle gun to do this when he's not using it for... [[{{Squick}} other things]].to kill people.



** Bell uses a revolver for a service pistol in the novel, highlighting his old-fashioned ways.

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** Bell uses a revolver for a his service pistol in the novel, weapon, highlighting his old-fashioned ways.ways.

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* ColdSniper: Moss was a sniper in Vietnam, and his father (also a war veteran) says he never saw a better rifle marksman. Moss has the rather stoic and methodical personality you might expect from a sniper. Ironically, the only time Moss fires a rifle in the book is in his first scene, where he misses.



* DissonantSerenity: One of the most chilling aspects of Chigurh.

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* DissonantSerenity: One of the most chilling aspects of Chigurh. Moss notes that Chigurh simply stares at him mutely when at shotgun-point.



* EasterEgg: The credits include an attribution for "The One Right Tool," a reference to one of Chigurh's apparent reasons for turning on his employer. Right above it is a credit for "Serious Matters" (i.e., lawyerin' stuff).



** In the novel, he casually describes how he murdered someone in a parking lot for making fun of him.

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** In the novel, he casually describes Chigurh recalls how he murdered someone in over some petty insult at a parking lot for making fun of him.bar. He can't even remember what the guy said.



* {{Narrator}}: In the novel, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell.



** The man with the chicken crates who stops to give Chigurh a jump. He gets a new hole in his head for his troubles.



** Moss spares Chigurh's life during their one and only face-to-face meeting. Chigurh shoots at Moss as he flees at the first opportunity and continues hunting him.



* OminousWalk: Anton Chigurh uses this quite a bit, emphasizing his status as TheDreaded.

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* ImprobableAge: Discussed by Bell. He notes that he was himself elected sheriff of a county as big as Delaware at the age of 25, having already become a war hero. He recalls that a previous sheriff became a deputy by the age of 18. He also knows someone who became a pastor and a pillar of his community at the age of 21.



** Ed Tom Bell is TheSheriff who is trying to stop Moss and Chigurh, but is too apathetic to be anything more than a PinballProtagonist.

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** Ed Tom Bell is TheSheriff who is trying to stop Moss and Chigurh, but is too apathetic to be anything more than a PinballProtagonist.Chigurh.



** Moss [[spoiler:is ultimately killed because he drops his gun when a cartel hitman takes the teenage runaway hostage. The hitman kills her and Moss anyway, though Moss manages to kill him too]].



* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The one time Anton Chigurh meets his match is when the receptionist at the trailer park office refuses to tell him where Moss works. He repeats his demand in an attempt to intimidate her, but she doesn't cave.

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* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The one time Anton Chigurh meets his match is stymied is when the receptionist at the trailer park office refuses to tell him where Moss works. He repeats his demand in an attempt to intimidate her, but she doesn't cave. It's implied that he is about to start beating the information out of her but then hears a toilet flush in the next room and decides that it's too risky.



* PlayAlongPrisoner: In his first scene, Anton Chigurh allows a deputy to arrest him, [[spoiler:slips his cuffs from back to front, kills the deputy, and steals a police car.]] All just to prove a point about supreme will.

to:

* PlayAlongPrisoner: In his first scene, Anton Chigurh allows has allowed a deputy to arrest him, him. He [[spoiler:slips his cuffs from back to front, kills the deputy, and steals a police car.]] All just to prove a point about supreme will.



* QuieterThanSilence: Due to there being almost no music prior to the closing credits, the audience can hear a lot of environmental sounds like wind and footsteps when characters aren't talking or shooting.
* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler:Is Chigurh really hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decides to check it, or Bell, after noticing that the knob is missing, is just imagining that Chigurh could be there, ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually meets Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine" him exactly as he looked like), however, some elements point to the latter (when Bell opens the door, it appears that behind it there would be no space for Chigurh to hide. Also, the air tank that Chigurh uses to carry around to pry doors open is nowhere to be seen, hinting that Chigurh may have already left). According to those who have read it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].
* RuleOfThree: Chigurh doesn't like getting blood on his boots, which we see three times: the first time in the hotel room when he shoots the Mexicans (while in sock feet). The second time, after [[spoiler:he shoots Wells]], he puts his feet up as he's on the phone with Llewelyn. The third time, as he's coming out of Carla Jean's mother's house, proof that [[spoiler:he also killed Carla Jean]].
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* TheNondescript: Chigurh is medium height, medium build, with a dark complexion, dark brown hair, and blue eyes. Moss thinks he looks "vaguely exotic," while one of the bicycle kids has trouble describing him, saying he "looks like anyone."

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* EveryoneHasStandards: Moss is a bit of an asshole who married a girl he met when she was 16 and steals cartel money, but he's faithful to his wife, spares Chigurh when he has him at his mercy, and [[spoiler:gets killed because he disarmed himself to try to save the teenage runaway]].



* {{Expy}}: Chigurh is one of Franchise/TheTerminator. WordOfGod acknowledged this, and said that the ending where [[spoiler:Chigurh has a violent bone break]] was to make him seem less like a machine.

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* {{Expy}}: Chigurh is one of Franchise/TheTerminator. WordOfGod acknowledged this, this and said that the ending where [[spoiler:Chigurh has a violent bone break]] was to make him seem less like a machine.

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* AntiClimax:
** The story seemingly builds towards [[spoiler:a final showdown between Moss and Chigurh, but the cartel [[KilledOffScreen unceremoniously kills Moss offscreen]]]].

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* AntiClimax:
**
AntiClimax: The story seemingly builds towards [[spoiler:a final showdown between Moss and Chigurh, but the cartel [[KilledOffScreen unceremoniously kills Moss offscreen]]]].Moss, and the story keeps going for several more chapters]], ending without any real climax.



* FalseConfession: A cartel hitman gets convicted and sentenced to death for some of Chigurh's crimes. When Bell interviews him, the man brags about committing the crimes, giving inaccurate details about how they were perpetrated.



** This example exists only in the book: when Sheriff Bell first meets Carla Jean, he removes his hat, which she takes to mean that he's informing her that her husband is dead, and Bell has to quickly calm her down and explain that he was just being polite before she has a breakdown. Later on , they meet again and he removes his hat once more, only this time [[spoiler:Llewelyn]] is actually dead, and it takes Carla Jean a moment to understand this time.

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** This example exists only in the book: when When Sheriff Bell first meets Carla Jean, he removes his hat, which she takes to mean that he's informing her that her husband is dead, and Bell has to quickly calm her down and explain that he was just being polite before she has a breakdown. Later on , on, they meet again again, and he removes his hat once more, only this time [[spoiler:Llewelyn]] is actually dead, and it takes Carla Jean a moment to understand this time.



** Zig-zagged by the teenage runaway who gets picked up by Moss. She's wide-eyed and rather naive, but she also offers to have sex with Moss and also drinks and smokes pot. The [[spoiler:coroner says her corpse looks "skanky," though this is implied to be a callous opinion]].

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** Zig-zagged by the teenage runaway who gets picked up by Moss. She's wide-eyed and rather naive, but she also offers to have sex with Moss and also drinks will drink and smokes smoke pot. The [[spoiler:coroner says her corpse looks "skanky," though this is implied to be a callous opinion]].

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* AgeGapRomance: Moss is 36 and his wife is 19. They met when she was 16.



* DeadpanSnarker: Llewelyn Moss is (at least at first) a carefree one. His wife Carla Jean Moss is a fretful one. Ed Tom Bell is a wistful, morose one. Anton Chigurh is a cold and deadly one.
-->'''Chigurh:''' What business is it of yours where I'm from... friendo?

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* DeadpanSnarker: Llewelyn Moss is (at least at first) a carefree one. His speaks to his wife Carla Jean Moss is almost entirely in sarcasm. She eventually calls him on it, asking if he can tell her a fretful one. Ed Tom Bell is a wistful, morose one. Anton Chigurh is a cold and deadly one.
-->'''Chigurh:''' What business is it of yours where I'm from... friendo?
straight answer about ''anything.'' He takes up the same habits when speaking to the teenage runaway.



* IdiotBall:
** Moss going back to give the dying man water (when he's likely already dead at that point), which is what sets the chase in motion. He even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this when he says he's about to do something really stupid.
** Moss going half the movie after acquiring the money before finding the transponder in the bag with the money. He never even decided to search the bag to ''count'' the money? Of course, this is done because otherwise thestorywould be much, much shorter. Related, the drug cartel's plan to keep tabs on the money by using the transponder in the first place. They couldn't have predicted that if things went south with the drug deal, that the person who ended up with the money would just ditch the bag like Moss did.

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* IdiotBall:
**
IdiotBall: Moss going back to give the dying man water (when he's likely already dead at that point), which is what sets the chase in motion. He even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this when he says he's about to do something really stupid.
** Moss going half the movie after acquiring the money before finding the transponder in the bag with the money. He never even decided to search the bag to ''count'' the money? Of course, this is done because otherwise thestorywould be much, much shorter. Related, the drug cartel's plan to keep tabs on the money by using the transponder in the first place. They couldn't have predicted that if things went south with the drug deal, that the person who ended up with the money would just ditch the bag like Moss did.
stupid.



* TheIngenue: Carla Jean Moss, who is genuinely innocent of Llewellyn's antics.

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* TheIngenue: TheIngenue:
**
Carla Jean Moss, who is genuinely innocent of Llewellyn's antics.antics.
** Zig-zagged by the teenage runaway who gets picked up by Moss. She's wide-eyed and rather naive, but she also offers to have sex with Moss and also drinks and smokes pot. The [[spoiler:coroner says her corpse looks "skanky," though this is implied to be a callous opinion]].



* LoveAtFirstSight: A rare, sweet moment when Carla Jean describes to Sheriff Bell how she met Moss. Moss simply walked into the store in which she worked, he said hello, and "that was all she wrote."

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* LoveAtFirstSight: A rare, sweet moment when Carla Jean describes to Sheriff Bell how she met Moss. had a premonition that she would meet "the one" while working at Wal-Mart. When she first set eyes on Moss, she instantly knew that he was him. Moss simply walked into the store in which she worked, also seems to have shared her instant attraction, as he said hello, and "that was all she wrote."asked her out almost immediately after meeting her.



%%* MissingFloor: [[ThirteenIsUnlucky "13" in larger buildings because the number is considered unlucky]]. Of course, there still is a thirteenth floor in the building, it's only the label that's changed. It's a subtle indication that the people at the top of the organization are kidding themselves about what they can control.

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%%* * MissingFloor: [[ThirteenIsUnlucky "13" in larger buildings because the number is considered unlucky]]. Of course, there still is a thirteenth floor in the building, it's only the label that's changed. It's a subtle indication Wells notes that the people at floor the top of middle manager is on cannot be accessed normally by the organization are kidding themselves about what they can control.elevator.



* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Carson Wells. Subverted by Anton Chigurh, however. Llewelyn eventually realizes that there's no way Chigurh could be tracking him so effectively without some sort of advantage. Sure enough, there's a tracking device in the money bag.

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* ScarilyCompetentTracker: ScarilyCompetentTracker:
**
Carson Wells. Wells deduces the location of Moss in three hours.
** Bell is able to unpack a lot of what happened at the initial shootout by analyzing the physical tracks on the ground. Actually hunting down Moss proves more difficult.
**
Subverted by Anton Chigurh, however. Llewelyn eventually realizes that there's no way Chigurh could be tracking him so effectively without some sort of advantage. Sure enough, there's a tracking device in the money bag.



* VillainsNeverLie: Averted. The Juarez Cartel recovers their heroin from the deal gone wrong, but reports it missing to the other party involved.



** Chigurh carries a captive bolt pistol wherever he goes and also has a silenced shotgun to sneak up on targets with, demonstrating his resourcefulness and unpredictability.
** Moss ''doesn't'' have a signature weapon, using whatever's at hand while on the run. He uses everything from his hunting rifle to a SawedOffShotgun.

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** Chigurh carries a captive bolt pistol wherever he goes and also has a silenced shotgun to sneak up on targets with, demonstrating his resourcefulness and unpredictability.
** Moss ''doesn't'' have a signature weapon, using whatever's at hand while on the run. He uses everything from his hunting rifle to a SawedOffShotgun.
brutal efficiency.



* WrongGenreSavvy: Llewelyn Moss. He refuses to accept that the world isn't as black and white as he believes it is, and acts like he's a stereotypical action hero. [[spoiler:This flaw ends up getting him killed.]]
** Moss is clever enough to keep making plans after he realizes he's being hunted (and how). Notably, he's the ''only'' one of Chigurh's targets that the latter fails to trap/kill with minimal effort. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Moss' cleverness isn't quite enough, even if it's not Chigurh who nails him in the end.]]
** When Anton Chigurh [[spoiler:is outsmarted and injured by Moss outside the Eagle Motel]], he realizes bushwhacking the Vietnam veteran isn't going to work. Anton immediately restructures his hunt to prioritize eliminating Moss' only way out: Wells and the man who hired him. He then threatens to kill his wife, in order to lure Moss to the nearest airport.

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Lots of these tropes only apply to the movie, not the book


* TheEighties: Set in 1980; since it's the beginning of the decade, and the setting is rural Texas, there isn't much stereotypical '80s fashion. Chigurh's rather out-of-place garb (alligator skin boots, denim jacket...) could be leftover fashion from the '70s, not to mention his haircut. There's no '80s pop soundtrack either; it's mostly eerie sound effects or silence.

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* TheEighties: Set in 1980; since it's the beginning of the decade, and the setting is rural Texas, there isn't much stereotypical '80s fashion. Chigurh's rather out-of-place garb (alligator skin boots, denim jacket...) could be leftover fashion from the '70s, not to mention his haircut. There's no '80s pop soundtrack either; it's mostly eerie sound effects or silence.1980.



* ArbitraryGunPower: In RealLife, a cattle-gun would barely be able to '''dent''' a door-lock, much less blow it completely out of the door. Though, one could argue that one of the most psychotic and dangerous people ever may have made a few modifications to his main method of breaking into houses and killing victims.

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* ArbitraryGunPower: In RealLife, a cattle-gun would barely be able to '''dent''' ''dent'' a door-lock, much less blow it completely out of the door. Though, one could argue that one of the most psychotic and dangerous people ever may have made a few modifications to his main method of breaking into houses and killing victims.door.



* TheAtoner: Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, mostly in the book;
* AxCrazy: Anton Chigurh kills a lot of people with no emotion, and has a "personal code" which mostly seems to be an excuse for killing people who do not pose a threat.

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* TheAtoner: Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, mostly in the book;
Bell.
* AxCrazy: Anton Chigurh kills a lot of people with no emotion, and has a "personal code" which that mostly seems to be an excuse for killing people who do not pose a threat.so much as annoy him.



* BarBrawl: Chigurh reveals late in the book that the reason he was under arrest at the beginning of the novel is because he killed a man in a bar brawl, though it took place in the parking lot.



* BeigeProse: The novel, even more so than usual for [=McCarthy=], thanks to it originally being written as a screenplay.
* BigBadEnsemble: Anton Chigurh, the Juarez Cartel, and the Matacumbe Petroleum Group are all after the money and willing to kill for it (moreso the former two, mind). One could argue that Moss is a VillainProtagonist, too, since he is, after all, ultimately just a thief who robs a bunch of dead men (and endangers his family while he's at it), though he is easily the least reprehensible of the bunch.

to:

* BeigeProse: The novel, even Even more so than usual for [=McCarthy=], thanks to it originally being written as a screenplay.
* BigBadEnsemble: Anton Chigurh, the Juarez Cartel, and the Matacumbe Petroleum Group are all after the money and willing to kill for it (moreso the former two, mind). One could argue that Moss is a VillainProtagonist, too, since he is, after all, ultimately just a thief who robs a bunch of dead men (and endangers his family while he's at it), though he is easily the least reprehensible of the bunch.



* BilingualBonus: When Moss gets woken up by the Mariachis the song they're playing translates to: "You wanted to fly with no wings/You wanted to touch heaven/You wanted many riches/You wanted to play with fire/And now that--"



* BloodKnight: Chigurh asserts that he allowed himself to be arrested for the fatal bar fight as a challenge to himself to see if he could escape custody.



* CelebrityParadox: In the novel, Ed Tom Bell mentions the murder of a federal judge in San Antonio. He's referring to John Howland Wood, who was assassinated outside his townhouse by a contract killer named Charles Harrelson on May 29, 1979. Creator/WoodyHarrelson (yes, the son of Charles) would go on to co-star in the [[Creator/TheCoenBrothers Coen Brothers]]' film.
* ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: Moss finds a dying man asking for water when he first reaches the shootout. He leaves without helping, but his conscience prickles him later at home, so he returns to the shootout scene to bring the man water... which is a mistake, and kickstarts the plot.

to:

* CelebrityParadox: In the novel, Ed Tom Bell mentions the murder of a federal judge in San Antonio. He's referring to John Howland Wood, who was assassinated outside his townhouse by a contract killer named Charles Harrelson on May 29, 1979. Creator/WoodyHarrelson (yes, the son of Charles) would go on to co-star in the [[Creator/TheCoenBrothers Coen Brothers]]' film.
* ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: Moss finds a dying man asking for water when he first reaches the shootout. He leaves without helping, but his conscience prickles him later at home, so he returns to the shootout scene to bring the man water... which is a mistake, mistake and kickstarts the plot.



* CounterfeitCash: [[PlayingWithATrope Downplayed]]: the money [[spoiler:within the briefcase]] is certainly authentic, but its setup is misleading, [[spoiler:as one layer below the top row of bundles of hundreds is a row with bundles of ones, including a bundle with a slot cut inside it to store a tracker]].

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* CounterfeitCash: [[PlayingWithATrope Downplayed]]: the money [[spoiler:within the briefcase]] is certainly authentic, but its setup is misleading, [[spoiler:as one layer below the top row of bundles of hundreds is a row with bundles of ones, including a bundle is filled with singles, most of which have a slot cut inside it out to store a tracker]].



* DeadFootLeadfoot: Moss hitches a ride with a bystander, who is killed while Moss talks to him. Later, he hitches another ride with an entirely different man, who is also killed for his trouble, but that happens long after he was separated from Moss.



* DeathIsDramatic: [[spoiler:Moss']] death is a notable subversion in drama, as it happens off-screen. Though in the book, the gun battle with the cartel is actually described vividly by a police officer after the fact, and it's pretty damn dramatic how it went down.



* DecoyProtagonist: Llewelyn Moss. Sheriff Bell is the real protagonist (however nominal), and delivers both the opening and closing monologues. The story is about an old man not adapting to the reality of the brutal environment he works in.

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* DecoyProtagonist: Llewelyn Moss. Sheriff Bell is Moss, who [[spoiler:dies several chapters before the real protagonist (however nominal), and delivers both the opening and closing monologues. The story is about an old man not adapting to the reality end of the brutal environment he works in.novel]].



** Llewelyn flags down a motorist on an otherwise deserted street while running from Chigurh; the driver dies when Chigurh shoots at them. As above, the guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.



* DumbassHasAPoint: When the none-too-bright Deputy Torbert draws his gun upon seeing evidence of a break-in, Bell states confidently that he won't need it because everyone is obviously gone. Torbert asserts that it's better safe than sorry. When Tolbert eventually moves to holster his gun in deference, however, Bell reconsiders and has him keep his gun out after all.



* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Chigurh.



* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Stephen Root's character is credited as "Man Who Hires Wells."



* FluffyTheTerrible: {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d; "Chigurh" is pronounced almost like "sugar." Then there's his sense of fashion...

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* FluffyTheTerrible: {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d; "Chigurh" is pronounced almost like "sugar.Referenced when Moss mishears Chigurh's name as "Sugar." Then there's his sense of fashion...He continues calling him that even after Wells tries to correct him.



* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Moss simply walks over the US-Mexican border into Mexico, past the only Mexican night shift customs officer, who is asleep. TruthInTelevision, however, [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] this -- you can indeed cross the border ''to'' Mexico without as much as a passport control, but getting ''back'' to the US is a '''totally''' different affair altogether.



* HandyCuffs: Initially, Chigurh's hands were cuffed from behind, but while the cop is distracted on the phone he slips his feet between his hands so that the cuffs are in front of him, and then uses them to strangle the cop.

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* HandyCuffs: Initially, Chigurh's hands were cuffed from behind, but while the cop is distracted on the phone he slips his feet between his hands so that the cuffs are in front of him, and then uses them to strangle the cop. The narration indicates that Chigurh has practiced this maneuver in his spare time.



* SelfStitching: Chigurh blows up a car so he can steal medical supplies to treat his injuries; he's later shown stitching himself up, as if we need proof that he's any more badass than he already is.



* ShoutOut: Mike Zoss Pharmacy. "Mike Zoss" is the name of the Coen Brothers' production company, and it was the actual name of a pharmacy located in [[http://bingoprof.blogspot.com/2007/12/mike-zoss-pharmacy.html St. Louis Park, Minnesota]].



** Gunshots are not something you can easily shrug off, even if you are a trained veteran or an unstoppable killing machine. Both Llewelyn and Chigurh have to carefully treat bullet wounds they get,
** Llewelyn and Chigurh don't face off in an explosive showdown. [[spoiler:Chigurh isn't the only person looking for Llewelyn's stolen money, and unsurprisingly, some other hitmen get the drop on Llewelyn instead, resulting in him being killed anticlimactically offscreen.]]
** [[spoiler:Chigurh's car crash in the finale shows that, for all he thinks of himself as an unstoppable entity, he's still just a man, and evading death in a gun fight without breaking a sweat doesn't mean you can't be killed by something as mundane as a driver on a sleepy suburban street running through a stop sign. The fact that he only survives through pure luck just drives it home further.]]

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** Gunshots are not something you can easily shrug off, even if you are a trained veteran or an unstoppable killing machine. Both Llewelyn and Chigurh have to carefully treat bullet wounds they get,
get, and both spend days recuperating.
** Llewelyn and Chigurh don't face off in an explosive showdown. [[spoiler:Chigurh isn't the only person looking for Llewelyn's stolen money, and unsurprisingly, some other cartel hitmen get the drop on Llewelyn instead, resulting in him being killed anticlimactically offscreen.]]
anticlimactically]].
** [[spoiler:Chigurh's car crash in the finale shows that, for all he thinks of himself as an unstoppable entity, he's still just a man, and evading death in a gun fight without breaking a sweat doesn't mean you can't be killed by something as mundane as a driver on a sleepy suburban street running through a stop sign. The fact that he only survives through pure luck just drives it home further.]]



* TakeAThirdOption: Subverted. [[spoiler:Carla refuses to call the coin Chigurh flips for her. He kills her anyway.]]
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* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Sheriff Bell is annoyed by Deputy Torbert's unnecessarily florid turns of phrase, such as saying "said wound" when discussing the autopsy report of the motorist.

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--->'''Carla Jean:''' The coin ain't got no say. It's just ''you''.

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\n--->'''Carla -->'''Carla Jean:''' The coin ain't got no say. It's just ''you''.




* FreudianTrio: Moss is the Ego, Chigurh is the Id (representing darkness and violence), Bell the Superego (representing all that is good and rational). Going on the Good vs. Evil, with man in the middle interpretation, that is.

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\n* FreudianTrio: Moss is the Ego, Chigurh is the Id (representing darkness and violence), Bell the Superego (representing all that is good and rational). Going on the Good vs. Evil, with man in the middle interpretation, that is. \n




















--> ''"Said he knew he was goin' to hell. Told it to me out of his own mouth. I don't know what to make of that. I surely don't. I thought I'd never seen a person like that and it got me to wonderin' if maybe he was some new kind. I watched them strap him into the seat and shut the door. He might've looked a bit nervous about it but that was about all. I really believe that he knew he was goin' to be in hell in fifteen minutes... He was not hard to talk to. [[AffablyEvil Called me Sheriff]]. But I didn't know what to say to him. [[TheSoulless What do you say to a man that by his own admission has no soul]]?"''

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--> ''"Said -->''"Said he knew he was goin' to hell. Told it to me out of his own mouth. I don't know what to make of that. I surely don't. I thought I'd never seen a person like that and it got me to wonderin' if maybe he was some new kind. I watched them strap him into the seat and shut the door. He might've looked a bit nervous about it but that was about all. I really believe that he knew he was goin' to be in hell in fifteen minutes... He was not hard to talk to. [[AffablyEvil Called me Sheriff]]. But I didn't know what to say to him. [[TheSoulless What do you say to a man that by his own admission has no soul]]?"''



























--> '''Accountant:''' Are you going to shoot me?\\

to:

--> '''Accountant:''' -->'''Accountant:''' Are you going to shoot me?\\






-->'''Llewelyn Moss:''' Yeah, I'm going to bring you something, alright. I decided to make you a special project of mine. [[BringIt You ain't going have to come looking for me at all.]


* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: The duel between Chigurh and Moss in the book, Moss turns on his bathroom light and hides in the dark, and when Chigurh inspects the bathroom, Moss holds him at gunpoint and escorts him down the hall with Chigurh facing away. He has the opportunity to kill him right there, but is apparently reluctant to commit murder.]]

to:

-->'''Llewelyn Moss:''' Yeah, I'm going to bring you something, alright. I decided to make you a special project of mine. [[BringIt You ain't going have to come looking for me at all.]


]]
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: The duel between Chigurh and Moss in the book, Moss turns on his bathroom light and hides in the dark, and when Chigurh inspects the bathroom, Moss holds him at gunpoint and escorts him down the hall with Chigurh facing away. He has the opportunity to kill him right there, but is apparently reluctant to commit murder.]]



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* ArbitraryGunPower: In RealLife, a cattle-gun would barely be able to '''dent''' a door-lock, much less blow it completely out of the door. Though, one could argue that one of the most psychotic and dangerous people ever may have made a few accommodations to his main method of breaking into houses and killing victims.

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* ArbitraryGunPower: In RealLife, a cattle-gun would barely be able to '''dent''' a door-lock, much less blow it completely out of the door. Though, one could argue that one of the most psychotic and dangerous people ever may have made a few accommodations modifications to his main method of breaking into houses and killing victims.
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* MissingFloor: [[ThirteenIsUnlucky "13" in larger buildings because the number is considered unlucky]]. Of course, there still is a thirteenth floor in the building, it's only the label that's changed. It's a subtle indication that the people at the top of the organization are kidding themselves about what they can control.

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* %%* MissingFloor: [[ThirteenIsUnlucky "13" in larger buildings because the number is considered unlucky]]. Of course, there still is a thirteenth floor in the building, it's only the label that's changed. It's a subtle indication that the people at the top of the organization are kidding themselves about what they can control.

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[[ThirteenIsUnlucky "13" in larger buildings because the number is considered unlucky]]. Of course, there still is a thirteenth floor in the building, it's only the label that's changed. It's a subtle indication that the people at the top of the organization are kidding themselves about what they can control.

* {{Narrator}}: In the novel, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell.

to:

* MissingFloor: [[ThirteenIsUnlucky "13" in larger buildings because the number is considered unlucky]]. Of course, there still is a thirteenth floor in the building, it's only the label that's changed. It's a subtle indication that the people at the top of the organization are kidding themselves about what they can control.

* {{Narrator}}: In the novel, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell.
control.




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* {{Narrator}}: In the novel, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell.
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''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2005 neo-Western thriller novel by Creator/CormacMcCarthy, a grizzled old man who refuses to discuss his books beyond their often disturbing content. In 2007, it was adapted into a film written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, and the result was a chilling film that's considerably bleaker than anything else they've done.

to:

''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2005 neo-Western thriller novel by Creator/CormacMcCarthy, a grizzled old man who refuses to discuss his books beyond their often disturbing content. In 2007, it was adapted into a film written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers, and the result was a chilling film that's considerably bleaker than anything else they've done.
content.




to:

The book would be adapted into [[Film/NoCountryForOldMen a film]] in 2007, written and directed by Creator/TheCoenBrothers.

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The place is West Texas; the year, 1980. When rugged Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss (Creator/JoshBrolin) finds the horrific aftermath of a botched drug deal and takes a suitcase filled with money, he sets in motion a spiral of violence beyond his control or comprehension. A cynical old sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Creator/TommyLeeJones), is determined to prove that there's still a place for justice in an otherwise unfair and cruel world as he sets out to find Moss and protect him from the owners of the money.

to:

The place is West Texas; the year, 1980. When rugged Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss (Creator/JoshBrolin) finds the horrific aftermath of a botched drug deal and takes a suitcase filled with money, he sets in motion a spiral of violence beyond his control or comprehension. A cynical old sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Creator/TommyLeeJones), Bell, is determined to prove that there's still a place for justice in an otherwise unfair and cruel world as he sets out to find Moss and protect him from the owners of the money.



* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The book is set in the 1980s but was released in 2005, and the movie in 2007.

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* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The book is set in the 1980s but was released in 2005, and the movie in 2007.2005.



* EvilOverlooker: Chigurh overlooks Llewelyn Moss on the DVD cover pictured above.
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Replacing the image because it's the book page.


[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_2_0.jpeg]]

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_2_0.jpeg]]
org/pmwiki/pub/images/cormac_mccarthy_nocountryforoldmen.jpg]]




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* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler:Is Chigurh really hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decides to check it, or does Bell, after noticing that the knob is missing, is just imagining that Chigurh could be there, ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually meets Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine" him exactly as he looked like), however, some elements point to the latter (when Bell opens the door, it appears that behind it there would be no space for Chigurh to hide. Also, the air tank that Chigurh uses to carry around to pry doors open is nowhere to be seen, hinting that Chigurh may have already left). According to those who have read it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].

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* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler:Is Chigurh really hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decides to check it, or does Bell, after noticing that the knob is missing, is just imagining that Chigurh could be there, ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually meets Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine" him exactly as he looked like), however, some elements point to the latter (when Bell opens the door, it appears that behind it there would be no space for Chigurh to hide. Also, the air tank that Chigurh uses to carry around to pry doors open is nowhere to be seen, hinting that Chigurh may have already left). According to those who have read it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].
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* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler:Is Chigurh really hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decides to check it, or does Bell, after noticing that the knob is missing, just imagine that Chigurh is there, ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually meets Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine" him exactly as he looked like), however, some elements point to the latter. (When Bell opens the door, it appears that behind it there would be no space for Chigurh to hide. Also, the air tank that Chigurh uses to carry around to pry doors open is nowhere to be seen, hinting that Chigurh may have already left.) According to those who have read it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].

to:

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler:Is Chigurh really hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decides to check it, or does Bell, after noticing that the knob is missing, is just imagine imagining that Chigurh is could be there, ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually meets Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine" him exactly as he looked like), however, some elements point to the latter. (When latter (when Bell opens the door, it appears that behind it there would be no space for Chigurh to hide. Also, the air tank that Chigurh uses to carry around to pry doors open is nowhere to be seen, hinting that Chigurh may have already left.) left). According to those who have read it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].

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