re: Just finished watching No Country for Old Men

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Very little differs from book to movie.

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One of the key plot differences is Carla Jean "not" calling it in the film. She refuses, kind of sitting in for the audience at this point with a "frick you, Chigurh." It also forces him to accept that he is the bad guy, although that's not much of a stretch. And - in his case, he'd already committed to killing her, so he viewed the coin toss as a sort of "mercy" (although it was really for his own entertainment.)

In a way, I prefer that to the book's version where she calls it and loses (to contrast and juxtapose the gas station owner). Another thing that leaps out in the film version - (Bardem's performance, in particular, adds a lot to the character - difficult to find any flaws in his performance) - he's got no good reason to kill the gas station attendant - and really no good reason to kill Carla Jean. I have no doubt he would have let her live if she'd called it an won.

But, he never gave folks he had to kill the choice. The coin toss was his whim and a warping of the notion of honor and "mercy" - it was actually more of his pathological sadism.

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The book and movie open and end the same. Very little differs from book to movie

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One thing that stands out in the book that I do not recall in the movie is when he returns the money and the dialogue he has that doesn't seem inhumane like the character he is. Professional and business like.