I think Llewelyn is a fantastic character. To me, he’s not meant to be an absolute.
He’s a cold man out for himself – he is introduced with Chigurh’s words ot his victim “Hold still,” as he hunts the antelope from afar through his rifle scope. He also fairly coldly and dispassionately interrogates the dying man in the truck then leaves him to die a cruel death.
However. He’s also a heroic man who cares for his wife in a gentle, kind series of scenes, he’s resourceful and brave, and he goes back to give the dying man water (which is his undoing).
All beautifully drawn.
Llewelyn is the “shades of grey” between Ed Tom’s goodness and Chigurh’s stark evil.
It’s terrific writing.
I don’t see any of those things as irredeemable.
He thinks he can beat Chigurh (and to be fair, he almost does). So he tells Carla Jean not to worry, that he can handle it – she first thinks “he can take all comers,” but quickly realizes he can’t.
Llewellyn doesn’t knowingly get the hitchhiker killed – he’s running desperately for his life, grabs a ride hoping they can escape, but Chigurh is too fast. I do argue that he is a likable dual protagonist for at least some of the story – he’s resourceful and brave, and his love for his wife is genuine.
If Llewellyn could have seen what would follow – that his hubris and his actions would lead to his own death, the death of Carla Jean, and several other innocent people, of course he would have made different choices.
But to me, that’s the whole point of the story. Llewellyn thinks he’s the hero of the story. So did I, the first time I saw the movie.
And what I loved about the movie was the way it blindsided me the first time I saw it. I was shocked Llewellyn was killed – and not even by Chigurh! But I also loved it and how it made me question everything I had been watching.
But we can agree to disagree.