Who is the more terrifying villain: Anton Chigurh or Col. Hans Landa?

[nikolaipromises]

This thread is inspired by Christoph Waltz's win last night at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa of the S.S. in "Inglourious Basterds."

Who is the more terrifying villain: Anton Chigurh of "No Country For Old Men," or Col. Hans Landa of the S.S.? And why?

While speaking about this exact topic with a good friend, we both decided on different choices. He chose Chigurh. I chose Landa. While I understood his reasoning behind his choice, I had a different point of view.

Here is what he said, in a nutshell, about why he chose Chigurh as the more terrifying villain:

He said Chigurh is a more terrifying villain than Landa. He said, "thing is, Landa was simply following orders." He went on to say Landa also recognized a freebie out and took it. Chigurh, though, works for himself and has no civility about him. He'd murder me just as soon as you, even if he had no good reason to. He went on to say Chigurh is cold and calculated, but also raw in power and conviction. He only answers to himself and is more animalistic than Landa.

However, he also said Landa is a smart villain and terrifying, but his communicative nature and demeanor cools the jets a bit.

So, where Landa would try to talk his way out of the confrontation, Chigurh would just shoot him in the face. He said he'd personally want to take his chances with the talker!


My take on why Landa is the more terrifying villain:

That's just exactly what Landa does in the beginning of "Basterds," though: he's calculated. He knows what he is going to do before he evens speaks one word. It's one thing to be a cold-blooded crazy killer (that's predictable) like Chigurh, and it's a completely other thing when you're smooth, cool (even cheerful), calculated and all-together unreadable like Landa.

Landa already has you figured out by the time he says one word. He knew what was going to happen during the massacre scene at the end, and he let it happen. That is far more terrifying than someone like Chigurh, who is predictable and rigid. Chigurh's character had little depth, little personality and therefore has less of a chance to expand. You knew his motives from the very beginning, unlike Landa's character where you have no idea what he is thinking. Take the milk scene in the middle of the movie at the restaurant, did he know who Shoshanna was, or was it all just coincidence? That's depth, and that's plot development, and that is pure tension.

You can even approach it on a moral level: Who is more dangerous, a man with no remorse and care for the people around him, or a man who understands the difference from right and wrong, but chooses wrong anyway? I feel the man with the forethought of right and wrong is more dangerous and in turn more unpredictable.


But what do you think? I'm looking forward to seeing what people have to say. I enjoy analytical discussions, so analyze away.

[ChadFL]

Wow, very hard to say on this one. I'd probably say Landa. With Chigurh you can at least tell he's a complete psychopath right off the bat.

Landa on the other hand is charming and friendly at first glance. He disarms you with his charm and turns into a monster at the flip of a switch. He also has the Nazi SS at his command while Chigurh works alone.

[Fighter]

Anton....friendo

[vegeta88]

Anton Chigurh - 'You can't stop what's coming'

There is just no way to stop the guy. He is smart, powerful, and determined. You can run and run but like Michael Myers, he will find you and get you. Landa is very terrifying as well but I don't think you would necessarily have an impending doom with him. He might talk to you and you could make your way out (the opening scene with the farmer). With Chigurh, you have no idea when he will attack. The scene with Woody Harrelson is a good example:

"Do you realize how insane this is?"
"The nature of this conversation?"
"The nature of you!"

Just seems like there is no way out save for the coin flip. I'll put it this way: if I saw Landa, I would be on my very best guard and hope he finds no flaws. With Chigurh, I would drop bricks because I would know I was dead already.

[nikolaipromises]

Originally Posted by vegeta88

Anton Chigurh - 'You can't stop what's coming'

There is just no way to stop the guy. He is smart, powerful, and determined. You can run and run but like Michael Myers, he will find you and get you. Landa is very terrifying as well but I don't think you would necessarily have an impending doom with him. He might talk to you and you could make your way out (the opening scene with the farmer). With Chigurh, you have no idea when he will attack. The scene with Woody Harrelson is a good example:

"Do you realize how insane this is?"
"The nature of this conversation?"
"The nature of you!"

Just seems like there is no way out save for the coin flip. I'll put it this way: if I saw Landa, I would be on my very best guard and hope he finds no flaws. With Chigurh, I would drop bricks because I would know I was dead already.

Thing is, the farmer wasn't his goal. It was what the farmer was hiding. He knew the farmer was harboring Jews, but he let the farmer sweat it out. In a way, Landa was delighting in the fact that the farmer confessed. Landa just played into him and made the farmer crack.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by nikolaipromises

Thing is, the farmer wasn't his goal. It was what the farmer was hiding. He knew the farmer was harboring Jews, but he let the farmer sweat it out. In a way, Landa was delighting in the fact that the farmer confessed. Landa just played into him and made the farmer crack.

Landa knew from the beginning that the farmer knew the truth, he was just playing mind games with him. From his scenes in the movie you could tell that he absolutely loved his job (catching Jews).

You never really got to fully see his truely psychotic side much in the film aside from his meeting with the famous German actress that went quite badly for the actress. I can only imagine how he acted when he actually captured a Jew.

I'd much rather get captured by Chigurh and have the chance of living with a coin-flip than have a psychotic Nazi SS officer mess with my head then have me tortured and killed or sent to a concentration camp.

[Alpha Sixx]

Kathy Bates!

[zahinn]

I like The Jew Hunter more...but Anton is scarier.

[nathanp]

Chigurh, he uses a compressed air gun for God's sake, how bat sh** crazy do you have to be to use something like that as your primary weapon.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

At least with Chiguh you can tell that you are in trouble right from the onset of the "encounter." With Landa, that is never the case. He can fool you into believing that nothing is suspected, lulling you into a false sense of security. Then, once you think that you are at your safest, BAM!!!

So, the fact that Landa can keep you sweating makes him more terrifying for me.

[Fighter]

The Hurt Locker winning Best Picture.......

[Lepidopterous]

The past three Academy Award winners for Best Supporting Actor gave three of the most terrifying performances in recent memory:

Javier Bardem - Anton Chigurh
Heath Ledger - The Joker
Christoph Waltz - Col. Hans Landa

Through their roles, they gave viewers a unique experience and elevated their respective films to masterpiece status. If the three were pitted against each other, I would have to go with Anton Chigurh as the most terrifying villain. With every one of his scenes, my heart starts beating fast with suspense and fear. Landa and Joker make me break a sweat with their powerful scenes too, but I have to give the upper hand to Chigurh. All brilliant performances nonetheless.

[zahinn]

^^ I am proud to say I own those movies



In terms of scary-ness:
The Joker > Anton Chigurh > Col. Hans Landa

[Gremal]

Landa is based however loosely on real nazi war criminals, so I find the question too strange...along the lines of who is more scary the boogie man or josef mengele. How do you answer that?

[nikolaipromises]

Originally Posted by Gremal

Landa is based however loosely on real nazi war criminals, so I find the question too strange...along the lines of who is more scary the boogie man or josef mengele. How do you answer that?

Oh, it's easy. The boogie man doesn't exist. Mengele did. Mengele is more terrifying.

Furthermore, I'm sure if we look through the history books, there were plenty of people like Chigurh.

[Tcan21]

definitely Anton

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Gremal

Landa is based however loosely on real nazi war criminals, so I find the question too strange...along the lines of who is more scary the boogie man or josef mengele. How do you answer that?

That's what I find so terrifying about Landa. He doesn't work alone like Chirgurh. He has the Nazi killing machine (the SS) at his disposal. Chirgurh is a lone wolf that may eventually be captured by the authorities and neutralized. Landa on the other hand operates in France at a time when the Nazis owned and operated the country and all of Eurpoe for that matter.

I don't believe it was ever mentioned in the movie what Landa did for a living before becoming the infamous "Jew hunter", but I imagine it was something along the lines of expert police detective or scientist. In any case he's obviously extremely intelligent and well-schooled given how meticulous he is and the fact that he speaks many languages fluently.

[Gaius Marius]

Thing is that Landa can be reasoned or bargained with. He is still terrifying in how calculating he can be, and how he is adept at reading people. However, Chigurh cannot be reasoned or bargained with. If he wants you dead, you're dead. I think Woody Harrleson's line says it the best:

"Even if you give him the money, he is just likely to kill you for inconveniencing him"

[elecrofunk]

Chigurh