10 Terrifying Characters In Non-Horror Movies

In a star making role for Javier Bardem, an icon was born out of a bolt gun and a dreadful haircut. An avenging angel of mysterious origin, the Coen brothers’ 2007 masterpiece hinges on Chigur’s terrifying presence.

Recruited by the mob to track down missing drug money, Chigur spends the majority of the film on the tail of Llewelyn Moss, a chancer who happened to stumble upon the mob’s cash. In the tradition of many a cinematic monster, Chigur is unstoppable, nigh on unkillable - he sucks up bullets then graphically performs self-surgery in one wince inducing scene. Apart from the bolt gun, his trademark is an adherence to the hands of fate - he allows the toss of a coin to decide whether or not his victims get to survive.

Chigur’s motivations blur and contort as the film goes on, and it’s his lack of clear desires as much as anything that make him truly chilling. The film was acclaimed on the whole, but it was Bardem as Chigur who rightly picked up the lion’s share of the praise. It’s a once in a lifetime character who he plays to chilling perfection.