3. Carson Wells - No Country For Old Men (2007)
Much of Harrelson's career has been spent turning up in memorable supporting roles, in which he holds his own against an acting powerhouse and there is no better example of that than
No Country for Old Men. Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, the film tells the story of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), an ordinary man who comes across an abandoned drug deal and makes off with the mob's money. The formidable hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is sent on his trail to recover the money, in a cat-and-mouse chase involving the Mexican border, coin tosses and the best motel scene since
The Hitcher. Harrelson's character is only in
No Country for around half an hour, and in that time he is very much in the shadow of Chigurh's actions. But Carson Wells is still a very important character, whose presence both livens up the chase and brings out the moral questions of the story. Wells' methods may be less severe than Chigurh's, but he is still taking advantage of a desperate man for his own gain. His final scene, a showdown between him and Chigurh, brilliantly reinforces the film's dark view of humanity, and its jet-black sense of humour.