Considering the Coen Brothers are arguably the best-ever director-producer duo of all time, fans might never see another joint movie from the two siblings after it was announced that Ethan Coen was done with directing. Nonetheless, Joel did a magnificent job working on The Tragedy Of Macbeth, which means he's good enough to keep the Coen magic alive on his own for the foreseeable future.
With close to 30 movies made, the Coen Brothers are some of the most prolific filmmakers in Hollywood. These particular movies have had unforgettable characters, some of which the brothers invented themselves and others that originated from books they adapted. Therefore, Redditors named some of the Coen brothers' most incredible characters like The Dude and Mattie Ross.
Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski - The Big Lebowski (1998)
The bowler, who prefers to spend his days relaxing, finds himself in bed with gangsters who intend on shaking up a millionaire who happens to have the same name as him. ChrisChiga34 states that "from his look to his dialogue to his entire personality, the character is completely iconic."
True to his name, The Dude is depicted as the stereotypical loser that's okay watching the clock tick as he drinks, smokes marijuana, and engages in his hobbies. His best moments come when he is yanked out of his comfort zone and thrust into the millionaire's chaotic life. The Dude navigates the challenges in a frantic and comedic manner, coming up with incredible one-liners as he tries to get all the mayhem behind him, so he can go back to his routine.
Marge Gunderson - Fargo (1996)
The Chief of Police in Brainerd, Minnesota, is called into action when a triple homicide happens in her jurisdiction. HisHighnessLordMinus notes that "a lot of Coen characters are accidentally successful, whereas Marge is skillful."
The Redditor is right about Marge being the exception to the Coen Brothers trope of characters, finding themselves in situations they never anticipated, then having to improvise. She is a badass law enforcement officer, capable of conducting investigations thoroughly and interrogating suspects until they spit it all out. Her marksmanship skills are applause-worthy, as she is shown shooting suspects from great distances with only a pistol.
H.I. McDunnogh - Raising Arizona (1987)
Unable to have a child, a newly paroled convenience store robber and his wife, a policewoman, decide to steal one of the quintuplet sons of a furniture magnate. About McDunnogh, ColleenKicks 56 feels "he was so funny."
McDunnough is easily one of the best Nicholas Cage roles. He is charming and opportunistic, managing to persuade a policewoman to marry him after learning her fiancé left him. Thanks to his convincing nature, he easily ropes her into his life of crime, too. And apart from the funny lines, McDunnough is a major part of the movie's visual comedy scenes and does a great job of highlighting the serious issue of infertility as well as themes of parenthood.
Mattie Ross - True Grit (2010)
After her father gets murdered, 14-year-old Mattie employs the lawman, Cogburn, to bring down the man that did it. Redditor takequake76 is full of praises, writing the movie has "probably the best kid acting performance I’ve ever seen."
It's indeed a flawless performance, and it feels even more special, considering the fact that this was only Hailee Steinfeld's first ever role. And it isn't hard to see why she ended up being one of the actors who won awards for their first movies, though she didn't win the Oscar. Mattie is headstrong and determined, making audiences root for her all the way. She is also extremely courageous, choosing to accompany the marshal on his mission rather than sit behind. This results in a formidable protagonist duo, with Mattie eventually getting justice by shooting the man that murdered her father.
Anton Chigurh - No Country For Old Men (2007)
One of the most brutal villains in movie history, Chigurh is hired to retrieve bags of cash from a drug deal that went wrong but discovers that a bounty hunter took it. Zupheal describes him as "a personification of death," adding that he was "cold, calculating, and the only chance of mercy was a random chance (a coin flip)."
Chigurh is memorable because he has a unique way of doing things. As brutal as he may be, he offers his victims a chance of survival through a coin toss. Moreover, Chigurh is more terrifying because of his unique choice of weapons, notably a captive bolt pistol that can not only kill but also destroy locks. The hitman's cat and mouse games with the protagonist, Moss, are also too good that they remain engraved in the minds of audiences long after watching.
Chad Fedheimer - Burn After Reading (2009)
Believing they are classified files, Chad, a gym employee, attempts to profit from the misplaced memoirs of a former CIA analyst. Bro57Fit says, "his attempts to be badass and intimidating still make me wheeze with laughter when I watch it."
Brad Pitt is mostly known for playing macho characters, but Chad is far from that. A scatterbrained but likable character, Chad thrives on goofiness throughout the movie. And though the character is made for comedic moments, he triggers pity from audiences through his streak of failure. From his attempts to sell the memoirs back to the analyst to approaching the Russians, nothing he does turns out well, but it's fun watching him try.
Jerry Lundegaarde - Fargo (1996)
Lindegaarde, a struggling car salesman, hires two men to kidnap his own wife and collect ransom from her rich father. Redditor ruler_gurl remembers how "his desperation and endless failure was epic. Everything he touched turned to mud."
Movie characters are rarely portrayed as both intelligent and dimwitted, but Lundegaarde fits such a description. His fraudulent schemes to come up with money are quite interesting. These include taking a $320,000 loan by using nonexistent vehicles and lying to his crime partners that the ransom is $80,000, yet it's $1 million. But when things go terribly wrong, he is shown to have no contingency plans, and he digs deeper holes for himself.
Walter Sobchak - The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Vietnam war veteran is The Dude's best friend. KennyKatsu names him the best ever Coen brothers' character, emphasizing that "it ain't even close."
Walter is a brawn-over-brains character that bosses the proceedings through his aggressiveness. The character stuns because he is an unapologetic hypocrite, keen on religion yet not afraid to backstab friends and engage in crime. He ruins what would have been a straightforward deal by taking ransom money for himself. His temperament makes for some hilarious moments, whether losing his cool with his friends at a bowling alley or poorly taking charge of the ransom exchange.
Amy Archer - The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Pulitzer-winning journalist gets a job at a top corporation in order to investigate one of the new executives. OldMovieLover834 thinks "The Coen’s writing and Jennifer Jason Leigh’s acting nailed that character."
Amy's relentlessness is what makes her a standout character. As a reporter, she does just about everything possible to get the perfect story. The twist, where she falls for the person she is meant to investigate, is an interesting arc, but at the end of it all is a wholesome moment where the two realize they had the wrong impression of each other.
The Jesus - The Big Lebowski (1998)
The former convict loves bowling like the movie's main character. ThrillerMan22 feels that "in terms of tiny screentime but big impact, nobody f***s with The Jesus.
The fact that The Jesus became one of the few minor movie and TV characters who got a spinoff, The Jesus Rolls, is proof of how fascinating a character he is. An arrogant but funny character, The Jesus' segments are seen as somewhat of a break from the major crime plot. His bowling skills are unmatched whereas his sentimentalism concerning his life in Cuba makes him even more endearing.