This year marks the 15th anniversary of No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers' neo-Western that premiered in November of 2007. The film cemented them as two of the greatest directors in modern Hollywood and introduced who is the most memorable character in any of their movies: Anton Chigurh.
Terrifying and dangerous, Chigurh is one of cinema's best villains, but he is far from the only menacing character in the Coens' filmography. From small-time criminals to violent contract killers, the Coens have delivered some of the most dangerous and memorable villain in recent cinema history.
Thora And Thessaly Thacker - Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Hail, Caesar! is one of the Coens' weakest films. The plot concerns a Hollywood fixer investigating the disappearance of an actor while dealing with several other situations. Tilda Swinton is part of the film's large ensemble cast, playing feuding twin sisters and gossip columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker.
Based on the infamous rivalry between Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper, Thora and Thessaly are unscrupulous and ruthless. There's nothing they won't do for a story and no line they won't cross for a scoop. The twins ruin lives with their venomous articles, becoming feared among the Hollywood community.
Jesus Quintana - The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Big Lebowski is one of John Turturro's best movies. The film follows The Dude, who becomes involved in a kidnapping after a case of mistaken identity. Turturro, a frequent collaborator of the Coens, plays a minor role in the film, but his participation is no less memorable.
Jesus Quintana is a convicted sex offender who exposed himself to a child. The character is creepy and loathsome, even with only a few minutes of screen time. Quintana's crimes might happen off-screen, but his offenses are far too great to ignore, making him a danger to society.
Sheriff Cooley - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
the Coen Brothers' all-time best movies. A modern retelling of Homer's classic poem, Odyssey, the film follows three escaped convicts searching for a hidden treasure while being pursued by a vicious sheriff in the Prohibition-era deep south.
Sheriff Cooley is relentless in his quest to apprehend the convicts. His determination leads him to commit several cruel acts, including torture. Cooley takes great pleasure in hunting the convicts, delighting in the prospect of killing rather than returning them to prison. Few things are scarier or more dangerous than a man who uses the law to satisfy his savage instincts.
Linda Litzke - Burn After Reading (2009)
The black comedy Burn After Reading features a mix of highly incompetent characters trying to gain the upper hand. The plot follows two dimwitted gym employees who stumble upon the memoirs of a retired CIA analyst and, mistaking them for government secrets, attempt to sell them to the highest bidder.
In her seventh collaboration with the Coens, s McDormand plays Linda, one-half of the gym duo. Although highly incompetent, Linda is manipulative and shameless in her pursuit of wealth. She is willing to sell what she believes to be government secrets to anyone willing to pay without caring about the potential consequences. Sometimes, the most unassuming people are the most dangerous.
Gaear Grimsrud - Fargo (1996)
Fargo has some of the best characters in any Coen Brothers movie, including Gaear Grimsrud. The plot focuses on a desperate car salesman who hires two criminals to kidnap his wife and the pregnant police chief investigating the crime.
Out of the two criminals, Gaer is the most intimidating one. He is quiet and pensive but has no problem resorting to violence to deal with every inconvenience, including the most minor and meaningless. Gaer kills without remorse and proves unstoppable in his pursuit of money, showing no loyalty or allegiance of any kind.
Lady Macbeth - The Tragedy Of Macbeth (2021)
s McDormand's most recent collaboration with the Coens was in 2021's The Tragedy of Macbeth. A minimalistic telling of the Scottish play, the film follows the now-classic story of Lord Macbeth, who, encouraged by his manipulative wife, pursues the throne of Scotland after receiving prophecy from a trio of witches.
Lady Macbeth is one of the best female roles in history. Guided by ambition, she convinces her husband to commit regicide, becoming queen and witnessing her husband's descent into tyranny. Lady Macbeth is often misunderstood and misinterpreted, but her ruthlessness makes her very dangerous.
Tom Chaney - True Grit (2010)
Josh Brolin co-starred opposite Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld in the Coens' 2010 film True Grit, one of the best modern westerns. The plot follows a fourteen-year-old girl who hires a lawman to hunt down the outlaw that killed her father. Brolin plays said outlaw, the ruthless Tom Chaney.
Although far from brave or impressive — in fact, Tom is quite cowardly — he is also manipulative and resourceful, making him a dangerous foe. Tom is heartless and willing to do everything to avoid capture, including killing anyone who crosses his path.
Tom Reagan - Miller's Crossing (1990)
Miller's Crossing follows Tom Reagan, the right-hand of an Irish mobster who becomes caught between two warring gangs and decides to play both sides. Although not one of the Coens' most famous films, Miller's Crossing has one of their most cunning characters in Tom.
Played by the ever-underrated Gabriel Byrne, Tom is clever, calculating, and ambitious. He shows a natural gift for manipulation, successfully fooling and pitting both gangs against each other. Tom is dangerous because of his resourceful and cunning nature. His changing allegiances and shifting moral com further increase his already infamous reputation.
Charlie Meadows - Barton Fink (1991)
John Goodman is famous for his funny roles that showcase his affable persona. He looks kind and approachable, the last person on Earth capable of committing a crime. Logically, the Coens cast him against type in their 1991 psychological thriller black comedy Barton Fink. The film focuses on the titular character, a playwright who moves to Hollywood to write screenplays, only to find himself aimless and struggling.
Goodman plays Charlie Meadows, Fink's neighbor who hides a gruesome secret. The plot twist pays off because of Goodman's superb performance, making Meadows a figure of chaos and confusion. Threatening and adaptable, Meadows is one of the Coens' most disturbing creations.
Anton Chigurh - No Country For Old Men (2007)
Few film characters have been as unsettling as Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh in the 2007 film No Country for Old Men. The plot centers on a war veteran who stumbles upon a pile of money and becomes the target of a violent hitman tasked with retrieving it.
Chigurh is the best villain in modern cinema history. Disquieting, precise and utterly terrifying, he is a ruthless and unstoppable killing machine. Bardem, who won an Oscar for his performance, succeeds in making Chigurh an extremely realistic psychopath, crafting a merciless creature of pure purpose and zero remorse who will haunt viewers' nightmares.
