History Literature / NoCountryForOldMen

* CaptainObvious: After Chigurh gets T-boned, one of the kids on bicycles states the obvious fact that he has a bone sticking out of his arm—-twice.

* HandyCuffs: Initially, Chigurh's hands were cuffed from behind, but then he switches them to the front to attack the cop on the phone.

* InfoDrop: In the film, the date is revealed from the fact that a 1958 coin "has traveled 22 years to get here". Agnes' tombstone also bears the year.

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler: Was really Chigurh hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decided to check it, or Bell, after noticing that the knob was missing, was just imagining that Chigurh may have been there ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually met Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine him" exactly as he looked like), however, some elements points 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 readed it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].

* DownerEnding: Not only [[spoiler:is the Deuteragonist murdered (off-screen)]], but then [[spoiler:the villain murders the hero's wife (again, off-screen) and escapes justice, leaving an old man to contemplate his inability to act in the face of so much seemingly pointless violence of the world. On a slightly brighter not, we see that Chigurh is himself not immune to the impartiality of the universe. While he survives the film, he winds up wounded and without his money. The novel also implies that the police are still tracking down Chigurh, indicating that soon will be caught]].

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler: Was really Chigurh hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decided to check it, or Bell, after noticing that the knob was missing, was just imagining that Chigurg may have been there ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually met Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine him" exactly as he looked like), however, some elements points 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 readed it, not even the script provides a clear answer about that]].

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler: Was really Chigurh hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decided to check it, or Bell, after noticing that the knob was missing, was just imagining that Chigurg may have been there ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear to be the former (Bell never actually met Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine him" exactly as he looked like), however, some elements points 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)]].

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler: Was really Chigurh hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Bell decided to check it, or Bell, after noticing that the knob was missing, was just imagining that Chigurg may have been there ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear the former (Bell never actually met Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine him" exactly as he looked like), however, some elements points 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)]].

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler: Was really Chigurh hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Wells decided to check it, or Wells, after noticing that the knob was missing, was just imagining that Chigurg may have been there ready to ambush him? At first sight, it would appear the former (Wells never actually met Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine him" exactly as he looked like), however, some elements points to the latter (when Wells 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)]].

* RiddleForTheAges: [[spoiler: Was really Chigurh hiding in the hotel room where Moss was killed when Wells decided to check it, or Wells, after noticing that the knob was missing, was just imagining that Chigurg may have been there ready to ambush him? At first sight, it will appear the former (Wells never actually met Chigurh, so it would make no sense for him to "imagine him" exactly as he looks like), however, some elements points to the latter (when Wells 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)]].

* DownerEnding: Not only [[spoiler:is the Deuteragonist murdered (off-screen)]], but then [[spoiler:the villain murders the hero's wife (again, off-screen) and escapes justice, leaving an old man to contemplate his inability to act in the face of so much seemingly pointless violence of the world. On a slightly brighter not, we see that Chigurh is himself not immune to the impartiality of the universe. While he survives the film, he winds up wounded and without his money]].

* TheCartel: Real life drug kingpin Pablo Acosta's Juarez Cartel is one of the two parties involved in the drug deal gone wrong. [[spoiler: Their hitmen eventually kill Moss.]]

* 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.

* DeathIsDramatic: [[spoiler:Moss's]] death is a notably subverted 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.

* ImproperlyPlacedFirearms: In one scene, Chigurh uses a Glock 19 pistol. Glock pistols were not produced until 1983. The movie takes place in 1980. His Remington 11-87 wouldn't be introduced until 1987

* NiceShoes: Throughout the movie, cowboy boots are heavily focused on, whether its through the frequent shots of Anton Chigurh's or having an entire scene devoted to Llewelyn buying them, with this fixation emphasising the NewOldWest atmosphere of the film as a whole.

* SurpriseCarCrash: It uses this as part of its AntiClimax ending. After [[spoiler: Anton Chigurh kills Carla Jean and drives off before the police arrives, his car is struck down by another vehicle as he is leaving the neighborhood. Chigurh is as much a victim of circumstance as anyone else]].

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

* XanatosSpeedChess: The film is essentially a three way game between Moss, Chigurh, and Bell.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Somewhat averted with Anton Chigurh, a hitman with probably decades of experience. He is capable of gunning down the driver of a vehicle from a lengthy distance using a sub-machine gun with only two shots. The third would have killed the passenger had he not reacted quickly.

* ImproperlyPlacedFirearms: In one scene, Chigurh uses a Glock 19 pistol. Glock pistols were not produced until 1983. The movie takes place in 1980
** Not to mention his Remington 11-87, introduced 1987

* DownerEnding: Not only [[spoiler:is the Deuteragonist murdered (off-screen)]], but then [[spoiler:the villain murders the hero's wife (again, off-screen) and escapes justice, leaving an old man to contemplate his inability to act in the face of so much seemingly pointless violence of the world]].
** Possibly averted in a sense with Chigurh: [[spoiler: for a man happy to end lives on a coin toss saying it is fate, getting into a car accident that breaks his arm severely - the last time we see him - does at least show he is as mortal as anybody else, his belief system targets him too, and basically doesn't fully escape unscathed.]] A small token, but a thematically important one.

** Averted for the novel. It is pretty par for the course as Cormac McCarthy works go.

* BadassNormal: Moss starts out looking like an uneducated, blue-collar underdog who might be in over his head against the well-armed, well-organized forces surrounding him, but he proves surprisingly resourceful.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Chigurh is ''this'' close to a HumanoidAbomination, but nothing he does is ever explicitly impossible or supernatural.

But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and the men behind the deal have sent ruthless hitman Anton Chigurh (Creator/JavierBardem) to retrieve the briefcase. Chigurh is a man willing to do ''absolutely anything'' -- to "[[{{Ubermensch}} follow a supreme act of will]]", as [[BlueAndOrangeMorality he puts it]] -- in order to achieve his aims... and it's no longer just the money he's after.

* {{Motifs}}: Throughout the movie, cowboy boots are heavily focused on, whether its through the frequent shots of Anton Chigurh's or having an entire scene devoted to Llewelyn buying them, with this fixation emphasising the NewOldWest atmosphere of the film as a whole.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Javier Bardem, whose icy, menacing and intense performance as Anton Chigurh won him a well-deserved Oscar and created one of the most memorable movie villains in recent history, is in reality a very meek and soft-spoken man; most of his other roles have been in romantic comedies. He confessed to being alarmed by the graphic violence in the film and the pure evil of his character, and says he only agreed to take the part because he believed the Coens were using violence to make a meaningful statement.