The book was highlighted by Conan O'Brien, who expressed his enthusiasm as a longtime Coen Brothers fan and praised a pivotal scene where the protagonist confronts an assassin. Both Woody Harrelson and Javier Bardem referenced the novel, noting how its tension and shading informed their performances. The discussion emphasized the story’s intense atmosphere and memorable dialogue, leading the hosts to highly recommend it.
Highly Recommended
Episode: Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson
The scene where Woody Harrelson's character knows it's over and is sitting in his chair talking to an assassin who he knows is going to kill him is a great example of a scene with a lot of shading and different things that could never have been done on Cheers.
"
I love, love, love... I'm a big Coen Brothers fan, but I love No Country for Old Men.
The scene you have where your character knows it's over, and you're sitting in your chair talking to an assassin who you know is going to kill you. It's this fidgety mixture of, I accept this, and I'm going to try and talk my way out of it at the same time. I love that performance.
That was in New Mexico, the one, No Country.
And I got these things out of the book, because it was a book, No Country.
Episode: Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem played Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, highlighting the tense scene with the gas station attendant, and detailing how they filmed it quickly, even with his limited English at the time.
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My guest today is an Academy Award winning actor who has started his films as No Country for Old Men, Skyfall, and Vicky, Christina Barcelona.
I know you came on the show to promote it and had the nerve to show a clip of Anton Chigurh. And then minutes after showing that clip turned to me and told me that my hair looked stupid.
It is, to me, just a brilliant example. Clearly there's violence in every movie we've mentioned, but such a clear example of one of the most tense scenes I've ever watched and the tension is building and it's unbearable between you and this gas station attendant.
And we shot it in 30 minutes. Oh my God. It was the end of the day for me it was the scene where I had to speak the most. And I couldn't and if my English is bad now back in 2006 which is where the movie happened it was inexistent.
The movie "No Country for Old Men" is based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. It features a psychopathic killer named Anton Chigurh, whose haircut makes him look like a psychopath to Vivian. The actor who played Anton Chigurh was later seen at the Oscars looking very handsome, which made Vivian realize that the actor had transformed himself physically for the role and was actually acting.
"
Yeah one thing that stuck with me was his bow cut right. His haircut was just cut straight across down and I think the way that framed his face was just he looked like a psychopath.
— Episode: The Ugly Side of Beauty
Episode: The Ugly Side of Beauty
The movie "No Country for Old Men" is based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. It features a psychopathic killer named Anton Chigurh, whose haircut makes him look like a psychopath to Vivian. The actor who played Anton Chigurh was later seen at the Oscars looking very handsome, which made Vivian realize that the actor had transformed himself physically for the role and was actually acting.
"
Yeah one thing that stuck with me was his bow cut right. His haircut was just cut straight across down and I think the way that framed his face was just he looked like a psychopath.
And so part of me thought that the way he looked was the way the actor looked. And so to me I was like well that must be an easy role since the actor looks like that. It's easy for him to play a psychopath.
And at the Oscars like Javier Bardem you know is a very attractive man right and very handsome, warm you know he transformed himself physically for that role.
And it's really interesting because sometimes you think I mean that's the same person.
The person in the movie would not be someone that you would judge as attractive right. Not attractive, unattractive and yet he as an actor is extremely attractive.
Episode: The Ugly Side of Beauty
The movie adaptation was based on the novel and the main character, Anton Chigurh, was played by actor Javier Bardem, who was able to drastically transform himself physically for the role.
"
Yeah one thing that stuck with me was his bow cut right. His haircut was just cut straight across down and I think the way that framed his face was just he looked like a psychopath.
And so part of me thought that the way he looked was the way the actor looked. And so to me I was like well that must be an easy role since the actor looks like that. It's easy for him to play a psychopath.
And at the Oscars like Javier Bardem you know is a very attractive man right and very handsome, warm you know he transformed himself physically for that role.
And it's really interesting because sometimes you think I mean that's the same person. The person in the movie would not be someone that you would judge as attractive right. Not attractive, unattractive and yet he as an actor is extremely attractive.
I mean really what this shows is that he was actually acting. He wasn't just playing himself. He was actually acting.
The hosts cited the novel as a lesson on decisionmaking, using its theme of heads versus tails to illustrate optimism versus cynicism.
"
No Country for Old Men taught us this important lesson and you guys are ignoring it. Anton Chigur asks, heads or tails? The guy behind the counter at the gas station, the old man says, heads. We know...
— Episode: Super Bowl Awards: The Nuclear Fallout,...
Episode: Super Bowl Awards: The Nuclear Fallout, Sam Darnol...
The hosts cited the novel as a lesson on decisionmaking, using its theme of heads versus tails to illustrate optimism versus cynicism.
"
No Country for Old Men taught us this important lesson and you guys are ignoring it. Anton Chigur asks, heads or tails? The guy behind the counter at the gas station, the old man says, heads. We know he lives. Their message is that's the optimistic way to go. That's what you want. If you're calling tails, then you're a cynic. You expect things to come ass up. Don't bet tails. It fails.
They talked about watching the film adaptation and mentioned the actors, noting they had rewatched it together and joked about watching it on a school night.
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We were talking about No Country for Old Men. And that was like, we got to watch that shit. We still watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood together. And then I just had this moment of recklessness. And...
— Episode: Adam Scott Returns
Episode: Adam Scott Returns
They talked about watching the film adaptation and mentioned the actors, noting they had rewatched it together and joked about watching it on a school night.
"
We were talking about No Country for Old Men. And that was like, we got to watch that shit. We still watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood together. And then I just had this moment of recklessness. And I go, should we go right now and watch No Country on a school night? Wow. And we did.
Matt Walsh highlighted the book's adaptation as a daring, rule‑breaking masterpiece, praising its bold storytelling and memorable monologue. He also noted a cultural reference where a popular hairstyle was said to be inspired by a character from the novel. Across both episodes, Walsh’s comments were enthusiastic and supportive of the work.
Walsh highlighted the film's daring structure, noting it broke every rule and was based on McCarthy's novel, praising its bold storytelling.
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No Country for Old Men ... there is no soundtrack ... they kill the protagonist ... brilliant monologue from Tommy Lee Jones ... they break every rule but they are virtuosos at the top of their game.
Episode: Ep. 1423 - Apple Makes It Clear: White Men Need No...
Matt Walsh noted that Snow White's hairstyle was apparently inspired by a character from the novel No Country for Old Men.
"
It's apparently inspired by Javier Bardem's character in No Country for Old Men.
Episode: Daily Wire Backstage: 2022 Season Finale
They mentioned rewatching No Country for Old Men, describing it as a good film based on a Cormac McCarthy novel.
"
Another one I rewatched last week was No Country for Old Men. Oh, it's a good film.
Listeners repeatedly praised the title as an incredible, intense read that surpassed its film adaptation, especially for those who dislike easy, predictable endings. Bill Burr frequently cited it as one of his favorite movies, rewatching it and expressing interest in visiting its filming locations. The consensus on the podcast was that the work was highly recommended for its dark, unpredictable storytelling.
Highly Recommended
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-27-14
It was highly recommended, particularly if you enjoy complex and unpredictable stories with no easy happy endings. The book was said to be incredible, even after seeing the movie adaptation.
"
If you're looking for any good books to read I highly recommend anything by Carmack McCarthy.
I actually want to read the book 'No Country for Old Men'. I read said book after I saw the movie and even though they did a great job with the movie, the book was still incredible.
Everything I've read for him was top-notch, the border trilogy probably being my favorite if you hate easy going, light on your loafers stories with predictable happy endings.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-20-14
Bill Burr mentioned watching it again the night before the podcast recording, which is one of his favorite movies of all time, though he forgets whether it's 'old man' or 'old men'.
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one of my favorite movies of all time is no country for old men that already I can't remember if I even said this already No country for old men.
I always forget if it's old man or old men, I think I already said that in this podcast, didn't I?
Strongly recommended by a listener for the book after enjoying the movie adaptation. The book was described as incredible, with all the author's works being top notch.
"
If you're looking for any good books to read, I highly recommend anything by Carmack McCarthy.
I read said book after I saw the movie and even though they did a great job with the movie, the book was still incredible.
Everything I've read from him was top notch.
The Border trilogy probably being my favorite.
If you hate easy going, light on your loafer stories with predictable happy endings, you'll dig his shit.
Strongly recommended for its intense and unpredictable storyline, the book was considered to be even more captivating than the acclaimed movie adaptation.
"
If you're looking for any good books to read, I highly recommend anything by Carmack McCarthy.
I read said book after I saw the movie and even though they did a great job with the movie, the book was still incredible.
Everything I've read from him was top notch.
The Border trilogy probably being my favorite.
If you hate easy going, light on your loafer stories with predictable happy endings, you'll dig his shit.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-27-14
It was highly recommended, especially if you dislike easy-going stories with predictable happy endings. The book was considered incredible, even better than the movie.
"
If you're looking for any good books to read I highly recommend anything by Cormac McCarthy.
I actually want to read the book No Country for Old Men. I said I read said book after I saw the movie and even though they did a great job with the movie, the book was still incredible.
Everything I've read for him was top-notch, the Border Trilogy probably being my favorite.
If you hate easy going light on your loafers stories with predictable happy endings, you'll dig his shit.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-20-14
Bill Burr stated that it's one of his favourite movies and that he recently rewatched it. He is unsure about the exact title and whether he already mentioned it earlier in the podcast.
"
One of my favorite movies of all time is No Country for Old Men.
I just watched it again last night and I I always forget if it's old man or old man.
I think I already said that in this podcast, didn't I? Did I? I don't fucking know.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 9-16-13
It was mentioned as one of the speaker's favorite movies, and he expressed a desire to visit the filming locations, including the motel where a character was killed.
"
they also shot one of my favorite movies of all time No country for old men and I want to drive around and look at some of those
Shooting locations like the motel where they shoot brought or they killed josh brolin and
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-27-14
It was highly recommended, especially if the listener enjoys books that are not light or easy to read, with no predictable happy endings. The book was said to be incredible, even after the listener had seen the movie.
"
If you're looking for any good books to read I highly recommend anything by Carmack McCarthy.
I actually want to read the book 'No Country for Old Men'.
The book was still incredible.
Everything I've read from him was top-notch.
The Border Trilogy, probably being my favorite.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 9-16-13
The speaker expressed a desire to visit the filming locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after watching Breaking Bad and wanting to see where the movie was filmed, including the motel scene where Josh Brolin's character was killed.
"
I got to do a few episodes of that And but they also shot one of my favorite movies of all time No country for old men and I want to drive around and look at some of those Shooting locations like the motel where they shoot brought or they killed josh brolin and All of that type of stuff.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 11-2-15
It was mentioned in relation to a hotel where Bill Burr stayed and that he thought was similar to the one depicted in the book.
"
Yeah, you stayed in that fucking hotel from No Country for Old Men.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 10-5-15
It was mentioned as an example of a movie with an initially disliked ending that later became a personal favourite.
"
I remember when No Country for Old Men came out and everybody's like what was the ending? The movie sucked and it ended up being like my favorite one ever.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-27-14
It was highly recommended, particularly if you enjoy stories that are not light or easygoing, with unpredictable endings. It was mentioned that the book was even more incredible than the movie.
"
I heard you mentioned that 'No Country for Old Men' is one of your favorite movies, mine too.
If you're looking for any good books to read I highly recommend anything by Cormac McCarthy.
I actually want to read the book 'No Country for Old Men'.
I read said book after I saw the movie and even though they did a great job with the movie, the book was still incredible.
Everything I've read for him was top-notch, the Border Trilogy probably being my favorite.
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-20-14
Bill enjoyed this movie so much, he recently watched it again and still loves it.
"
one of my favorite movies of all time is no country for old men
Episode: Monday Morning Podcast 1-27-14
It was highly recommended by a listener who enjoyed the book more than the movie adaptation, highlighting its dark and unpredictable nature.
"
If you're looking for any good books to read I highly recommend anything by Cormac McCarthy.
I actually want to read the book No Country for Old Men, I said I read said book after I saw the movie and even though they did a great job with the movie, the book was still incredible.
Everything I've read for him was top-notch the border trilogy probably being my favorite if you hate easy going light on your loafers stories with predictable happy endings you'll dig his shit.
The author, Cormac McCarthy, was mentioned in relation to the book being read as a hunting book.
"
You know, we've talked a lot about, you know, how No Cunch for Old Men feels like, you know, it's like, feels like a hunting book for only one reason. When he finds that massacre site, he's blood trai...
— Episode: Ep 498: Hunting, Singing, and Going Dry...
Episode: Ep 498: Hunting, Singing, and Going Dry with the T...
The author, Cormac McCarthy, was mentioned in relation to the book being read as a hunting book.
"
You know, we've talked a lot about, you know, how No Cunch for Old Men feels like, you know, it's like, feels like a hunting book for only one reason. When he finds that massacre site, he's blood trailing the animal. He completely forgets about the blood trail. Yep.
Episode: Ep. 077: African Hunting
The author's writing style was compared to that of Cormac McCarthy, noting that McCarthy's writing includes specific details about firearms, similar to the speaker's own style of outdoor writing.
"
Cormac McCarthy in no crunch for old men does even say like someone had a nine millimeter Parabellum or whatever.
Ted Danson mentioned this film as one of his favorites and said he loved Woody Harrelson's performance in it.
"
One of my favorite movies as I told you is old country no country for old men and I Loved you in that movie so much and I talked specifically about that scene
— Episode: Conan O'Brien
Episode: Conan O'Brien
Ted Danson mentioned this film as one of his favorites and said he loved Woody Harrelson's performance in it.
"
One of my favorite movies as I told you is old country no country for old men and I Loved you in that movie so much and I talked specifically about that scene
The book was referenced in two episodes, first when Howard and Andrew Marks noted that the author was a friend of Brian Arthur and had helped shape the prose of Arthur's paper on increasing returns, and later when David Rosenthal listed it among Cormac McCarthy's works during a discussion with Tom Alberg. Both mentions were brief and informational rather than promotional.
Episode: Episode 28: The Amazon IPO with original Amazon Bo...
This book was mentioned as one of the works by author Cormac McCarthy.
"
David: Cormac McCarthy (author of All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, etc)'s contribution to W. Brian Arthur's landmark paper about the economics of the internet, "Increasing Returns and the New World of Business"
His passing was mentioned, with recognition of his significant contributions to modern American literature. 'The Road' was specifically highlighted for its powerful writing and moral depth.
"
Cormac McCarthy passed away yesterday, the formidable and reclusive writer who wrote All the Pretty Horses, of course, The Road and so many other classics.
— Episode: Morning Joe 6/14/23
Episode: Morning Joe 6/14/23
His passing was mentioned, with recognition of his significant contributions to modern American literature. 'The Road' was specifically highlighted for its powerful writing and moral depth.
"
Cormac McCarthy passed away yesterday, the formidable and reclusive writer who wrote All the Pretty Horses, of course, The Road and so many other classics.
No Country for Old Men. But, you know, I mean, The Road, I remember being particularly moved by it. Just incredible writing.
A combination of, I mean, a singular voice, an enormous figure in American, modern American literature and a guy who who's all of his work like hangs together this dark, stark, almost apocalyptic kind of vision anchored to this really profound moral sense and like that.
That the morality in that kind of shines through and all these very dark visions in his pieces is what made him something more than just a great wordsmith, but a really important artist in American life.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.
