The movie isNo Country for Old Men, andthe character is Javier Bardem’s Oscar-winning Anton Chigurh.
What Are the Traits of a True Psychopath?
39, to be exact.
Image by Zanda Rice
It’s a testament to the work of Bardem andtheCoen Brothersthat Chigurh earns such academic praise.
As you look behind the officer in the foreground, everything Chigurh does is methodical and calculated.
Even as he kills the man, his face remains devoid of, well, anything.
Image via Miramax
After the officer’s death, Chigurh simply goes and washes his hands.
Do Willie and Jerry win their case in the end?
The clerk asks questions like “Why do I need to pick a side?”
or “What am I putting up?
“, all perfectly normal questions.
But that’s not picking a side.
Image via Paramount Pictures
When the clerk finally does pick a side, thankfully the right one, Chigurh walks away.
Ironically, a true psychopath couldn’t care less about what people think of their haircut.
It’s also more in line withAmerican Psycho’sPatrick Bateman (Christian Bale).
Why Arent There More Realistic Psychopaths on Film?
So, if Hollywood largely misrepresents true psychopaths, why arent there more Anton Chigurhs on film?
Because they arent nearly as interesting.
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
But if its any consolation, Dr. Hokemeyer did add that in real life, psychopaths seldom murder outright.
Well, that’s certainly comforting, isnt it?
In a non-comforting-at-all way, that is.
No Country for Old Menis available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
