In No Country for Old Men, one of the most memorable quotes is “What’s the most you ever lost in a coin toss?” This is a short rhymed sentence spoken by Anton Chigurh; and he says it to a Texaco worker. By this point in the film we notice that Anton has a way with changing the direction of others lives when he crosses their path, whether it be killing them or letting them live.
Watch the video clip below of the coin toss scene.
This is a symbolic moment that shows how Anton values human life. Throughout the film, it is shown that people constantly think they should be valued at a higher worth or risk than others. But this scene gives us a real message to focus on, that at the end of the day everyone is the same. We are all just quarters going on our journey through life from one place to the next with the same odds to succeed or fail.
The importance of this coin toss is that Anton is in control. He doesn’t like the way the old man is making small talk and is annoyed with him. Anton could have easily just killed the man and not paid for anything but he took an opportunity on the old man with a game of chance. So really, we see how Anton feels accomplished as a murderer because even though he can’t control fate, he is still in control of the results of fate: life or death.
