First, the movie has been out long enough that this thread is gonna be without boxed spoilers. You have been warned.
Second, I have a couple of plot questions that have been bugging me and I thought I’d try 'em out here, rather than resurrect the earlier thread on the movie.
My first question is this. It would appear that, throughout the movie, the Chigurh character acts out of some sort of twisted personal motives involving duty and fate - rather than simply out of greed. Why then does he execute his two confederates at the scene of the big shoot-out? To keep all the money for himself? That doesn’t seem consistent.
Secondly, just about everything in the movie has an explaination (though not always spelled out); one thing I can’t think of an explaination for is this: Chigurh sets a trap for that cowboy-hatted fellow his boss sent to hunt him down - he gets the drop on him and kills him. How does he know enough to do it?
I think it’s simply because they have seen him and could identify him. Over the course of the movie he kills almost everyone who has gotten a good look at him. He doesn’t seem to care about the money, and in fact in the book, he gives it all to a dealer.
I thought that was supposed to be dumb luck. He happened to be in the hotel lobby when Wells went upstairs, and he recognized him and knew why he must be there.
It just seems odd, as the three interact as if they knew each other well. Why does he suddenly decide they can identify him? I suppose he’s rightly somewhat paranoid, but I thought there must be a more specific reason. I haven’t read the book, I should point out.
I thought that originally, but then it occurred to me (and I may be remembering it wrong) that he had just killed the clerk in the lobby - for the second night in a row (staffing that position is gonna be tough in the future! ). That fact, and the fact that he was carrying his silenced shotgun, indicated to me that he was waiting for Mr. Cowboy Hat.
I never got that impression from the movie, but I just read the book and that’s exactly what happened. Chigurh had the transponder, which was still making a noise so he went back to the hotel. He found the transponder in Moss’ room and then ditched it in the hallway. After that, he went down to the lobby and hid, waiting for Wells. I can’t remember exactly how he knew that Wells was there, though.
). That fact, and the fact that he was carrying his silenced shotgun, indicated to me that he was waiting for Mr. Cowboy Hat.