wife of Llewelyn Moss, Carla Jean, serves as a bargaining chip for Anton, with him telling Llewelyn that he will hunt her and kill her if he doesn’t get the money. Then, there is Loretta Bell (Tess Harper), the wife of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. She serves as grounding for her husband – the safe, warm place. She is knowing, wise and loving, and provides a steady presence for the man charged with enforcing the law in a violent land. She has no other dimension. Lastly, there is Carla Jean’s mother (Beth Grant) who has no name of her own, and exists solely to be the burden that ultimately costs Llewelyn his life.

The way in which violence occurs in the film also shifts, from being detailed in the first act, to being largely unseen by the third act. The shift essentially happens when Anton sits...

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